High court confirms Omare as authentic IYC president

The State High Court in Sagbama, Bayelsa state on Thursday, declared as “authentic and legal”, the election, which produced Eric Omare as the seventh president of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) worldwide.

Two factions of the IYC have been operating in the last three years after Omare was elected at the IYC convention, which took place at Burutu, Delta State in March 2017. But his emergence was later trailed by series of controversies following a counter convention held in Okirika in April 2017 in which Pereotuobo Oweilaemi also emerged president.

The Oweilaemi faction was supported by the outgone Bayelsa state governor, Seriake Dickson and elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark but the court ruling has put on hold the controversial election. However, ruling on a suit filed by two Zonal Officers of the Central Zone of the IYC, Amiebi Turner and Torutein Oki Isiya against Pereotuobo Oweilaemi and others, Justice E. G. Umukoro, declared the election of the IYC which took in Burutu as authentic and legal. The court further declared as illegal, null and void, the IYC election, which took place at Okirika in April 2017.

Meanwhile, reacting to the judgment, Omare expressed thanks to God for the victory, saying that it is a victory for all “Ijaw youths who believed and stood by the mandate given to me and others at Burutu”.

He also thanked the claimants Messrs Amiebi Turner and Torutein Oki Isiya for standing firm in the face of intimidation and blackmail during the course of the case. “This judgement has put to rest the controversy surrounding the leadership of the IYC and has helped to put the records straight for the purpose of history and I shall address a world press conference in the next few days on the way forward.”