BY  ONUNZE OKECHUKWU AND CHINYERE ABIAZIEM
Crisis has engulfed the Ijaw Youth council following a disputed election in its Lagos chapter, the national executives of the group was accused of contravening and grossly abusing the constitution of the Lagos Chapter, warranting a vote of no confidence passed on the National Executive of IYC, worldwide led by Mr. Miabiyi Kromiema.

But Mr. J. P. Owoupele, National Spokesman of the association said that the constitutional limits for executive of Lagos, like others having elapsed, “we discussed and proposed the existing executive adjust themselves to accommodate those agitating for election to form a transitional executive.”

The spokesman said it was during the period that one Doubabote and Oki mobilised their interest group to organise themselves for a constitutionally questionable election, explaining that the convention in the IYC is to zone and rotate chairman and other officers.

He said that the central and west zones had taken their turns with chairmanship office and “it is therefore currently zoned to the Eastern Zone. This group anointed and elected Oki, one of the key figures in the process, who is not from the Eastern Zone.”

However, in a statement by the Lagos IYC signed by the trio of Comrade George Deinkoru, Mr. Victor Thikan, and Mr. Amangiya, Chairman of Congress, Spokesman, and Secretary, respectively, the group said, “the national constitutional convention which is the highest decision making body was held on February 20, 2011, at Patani in Delta State.

The convention mandated the National president of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) worldwide to work with organs of council in line with the constitution and transitional arrangement to put in place structures and processes for smooth and orderly conduct of elections into offices across clans, chapter and zones whose tenure has expired but the National president went against his mandate.

of National constitutional convention and the constitution of Ijaw Youth Council to recognise an illegal government led by one Mr. Anthony Oki who did not emerge through the process as entailed in the constitution of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC).

Owoupele in in a “statement explained that the National Executive Council of IYC after one year in office, could not perform its primary constitutional function of dissolving the Lagos exco, led by Mr. Oyas Officer, whose tenure expired on July the 28, 2010, instead, recognising its government which is currently tearing Lagos chapter apart.”

He stated that the second “ground for the conflict bordered on the constitutionality of the process and a breach on subsisting understanding to stay action on the election. Only the national executive is empowered constitutionally to mediate election into zones and chapters of councils and that of clans to be done by the zonal executive under the authorisation of national executive. The election didn’t meet this test as no national executive was informed or mediated the election.”

He said the conflict bordered on the constitutionality of the process and a breach on subsisting understanding to stay action on the election. Only the national executive is empowered constitutionally to mediate election into zones and chapters of council and that of clans to be done by the zonal executive under the authorization of national executive. The election didn’t meet this test as no national executive was informed or mediated the election.