The Electoral Committee of the Ijaw National Congress (INC) has officially announced the final results of the presidential and national executive council election conducted at Ijaw House in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state.
The Justice Francis Tabai led electoral umpire declared Chief Macdonald Igbadiwei from Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa state winner as president-elect of the electronically conducted polls having garnered a total of 317 votes.
Prof. Franklin Osaisai also from Southern Ijaw council area of Bayelsa state scored 162 votes to emerge first runner-up while
Mr. Ebipamowei Wodu scored 53 votes to attain send runner-up.
Chief Timi Ogoriba who boycotted the electoral exercise due alleged irregularities scored 11 votes in the presidential category alongside
Alabo Nengi James and Rear Admiral Woyenidikpete Geoffrey Yanga who polled 4 and 1 votes respectively having also boycotted the election.
One Anyanate Kio from Kalabari in Rivers State emerged winner as national secretary of the INC.
IT could be recalled that the INC Electoral process had been fraught with controversy.
March 7 was the original date for the pan Ijaw sociocultural group but the exercise was halted after one of the presidential candidates, Chief McDonald Igbadiwei, secured a court injunction following his unlawful disqualification amongst other aspirants by the electoral committee.
However, the court injunction was quashed after the names of the disqualified candidates were reinstated after several meetings with stakeholders and a new date was fixed by the electoral body.
But due to other frayed nerves amongst other candidates and their dissatisfaction with the electoral system the National
Conference of Ijaw Traditional Rulers and Elders (N-CITRE) suspended the electoral exercise rescheduled for April 13, 2026 till further notice, pending resolution of all grievances arising from the process.
Chairman of N-CITRE King Bubaraye Dakolo who doubles as chairman of Bayelsa state Traditional Rulers council, had in a statement, said any INC election conducted against the order of N-CITRE would be rendered null and void, adding that a committee had been set up to look at the issues and report back to the traditional body.
The electoral committee defied the N-CITRE ordered and went ahead to conduct the election which has now produced Chief McDonald Igbadiwei as president-elect who in his acceptance speech, vowed to unite all aggrieved parties and move the Ijaw nation forward.
The outgoing President, Okaba, while speaking to newsmen after the polls said there was no existing court order stopping him from producing his successor.
As at the time of filing this report, the opposing parties have yet to react to the situation.
