•I’m president —Barrister Boma Obuoforibo
•You were impeached, I‘m new president —Alatubo Charles Harry
•Obuoforibo is INC leader, Chief Edwin Clark, Chair, BOT, INC

By Emma Amaize, Editor, Jimitota Onoyume and Davies Iheamnachor

(In our last edition, we published a story on the controversy in Ijaw nation over the president of Ijaw National Congress, INC.     Boma Obuoforibo, a lawyer, contended that he was the president of the apex Ijaw body, but due to unforeseen causes, the story did not run its full course. We run the complete story today with Alatubo Charles Harry insisting that Obuoforibo has been sacked and he is the authentic president and the chair, Board of Trustees, INC, Chief Edwin Clark, clearing the air on the hullabaloo).

Alatubo Charles Harry

HE did not mince words when he told NDV: “Yes, I am the president of Ijaw National Congress. The INC has a process it produces its president and my emergence complied with all the laid down procedures and provisions of the constitution of INC.”

L-R: Chief Edwin Clark, Boma Obuoforibo & Alatubo Charles Harry

So, how did you become INC president? Harry stated: “For a while now, the INC presidency of INC was zoned to the Eastern zone seven years ago after the Central zone had its turn. Prof. Obianeme was elected president at the time and was subsequently impeached after about two years and his deputy held the position until the end of that tenure, which was an aberration in itself.

“After that, a new president was elected in Chief Sekibo of Okrika, who unfortunately died about a year after and his deputy took over and it was agreed that elections must be conducted not to usurp the Eastern zone’s turn, that election was conducted and Barr. Boma Obuoforibo was elected.

“But in February 2015, he was suspended from office for acts of misconduct and the act was passed to the legislative body of the INC, National Representative Council, and NRC. NRC set up a seven- man committee that investigated the allegations against him and on November 10, he was formally impeached.

“Since November 10 till 6th of August when I was elected, there has been an acting president in the person of Charles Ambaiowei, the vice president. Ambaiowei held the seat to complete it, but some elders said it is not good. So, election process was put in place in January 2016. There were several meetings held at the time before CITREL ordered for an election, which was done,” he said.

His words: “NRC has to put an electoral committee in place and they sat in Port Harcourt, a former national secretary of INC as chairman. They gave time table for election and on the 6th of August, I was duly elected the INC president under the chairmanship of Prof. Kimsey Okoko. I was also sworn in by a traditional ruler, the chairman, Council of Chiefs, Andoni, as our constitution provides.”

Are you aware that somebody else is laying claim to this position? Harry said: “I can say without iota of doubt that there is no two bodies in INC. What we have is a situation where a man who has been impeached goes on parading himself. If he was the INC president, why were official duties of INC being carried out by the acting president since last year?

“The Ijaw Day and Boroh Day were done by Ambaiowei, why is he saying now that he is INC president? He converted the INC national headquarters in Port Harcourt to his personal chamber and locked out members of the executive. He again petitioned the Commissioner of Police in Rivers state, who after investigations found that his petition was malicious.

“He further petitioned the Inspector General of Police, who also found out that the petition was malicious and ordered that he should be arrested and prosecuted. He has been evading arrest. Last month, he went to a court in Omoku to get a perpetual injunction purportedly stopping the Police from affecting his arrest. I have no case with Boma,” he declared.

According to him: “I came in 10 months after he was impeached, I was not part of his impeachment or the accusations against him, I contested 12 years ago, some Ijaw leaders came to ask me to contest to rebuild the house. I was implored by well- meaning elders and leaders in Eastern zone that we have a problem and that they need a leader that will have everyone’s respect and hold the units together. I thought it was important that I respect the call of elders. This tenure has only eight months left. I am here as president to solve a problem.

Leadership problem

“There are no divisions in INC and we do not have leadership problem. There are some people, who because they want to be myopic to things cause unnecessary opprobrium in the Ijaw nation. INC is neither divided nor factionalized.

“INC does not have two presidents. INC is sitting comfortably as a united entity. The problem that surfaced is what I am here to resolve. “The crisis in INC also affects the IYC. If people are true to themselves, they should be asking how we should move the house forward and not how to further divide the house,” he stated.

Clark

National leader of Ijaw ethnic nationality and chair, Board of Trustees, INC, Chief Clark, told NDV: “Obuoforibo is the president general of INC. He had problem with his deputy and part of the executive and the matter has not been resolved. And the vice president, Engr. Charles Ambaiowei resigned his position from INC and sent me his letter.

“INC has three zones, eastern zone, central zone and western zone. Western zone stretches from Ondo, Edo to Delta states, the central zone is Bayelsa state, while Eastern zone is Rivers and Akwa Ibom states. At the moment, it is the turn of eastern zone. Senator Sekibo was elected president and his executive sworn in at Yenagoa. Then, unfortunately, he died suddenly at Government House, Yenagoa a week after meeting me in Abuja.

“New election was held and Obuoforibo was elected at the convention and Charles Ambaiowei as the deputy national president. They had problems and disagreed, while we were looking at the possibility of settling them, Ambaiowei resigned and after sometime, the eastern region led by ex-minister, Alabo Graham Douglas , former deputy governor,   Sir Gabriel Toby, Chief Sara Igbe, Monday Okonny, a one-time executive director in NDDC, Architect Etteh,   and others, led a strong delegation to meet me on July 30 2016, which was attended by the Bayelsa state governor, deputy governor of Delta state, former minister Alaowei Broderick Bozimo and royal fathers.

“After deliberation on the main agenda, which was how to restore peace in Niger Delta, we discussed the matter and we unanimously agreed that Obuoforibo remains president of INC. We prayed for him.”

He said: “Later, I learnt that one man was parading himself as INC president. The issue is where he was elected, who are the members of his executive. Alabo Graham Douglas told me that they would settle the matter. I later heard that they asked the young man to stop down and go and see me (Clark). I do not know that man, Harry, until date. I am the chair, BOT and what I know is that Obuoforibo remains INC president.