DISREGARD RUMOURS ON PURPORTED ENDORSEMENT OF OKRIKA UNITY CONVENTION BY IJAW LEADERS.

IJAW YOUTH COUNCIL –IYC WORLDWIDE

PRESS RELEASE

March 18, 2017

The attention of the national leadership of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has been drawn to stories making the headlines in the social media to the effect that the Eric Omare led national executive council of the Ijaw Youth Council has agreed to accept the purported Okrika convention and participate in their so called electoral process at the instance of some Ijaw leaders. The IYC leadership would have ordinarily dismissed this rumour as the usual youthful exuberance of a few IYC members. However, we have decided to respond in the interest of the general public especially the Ijaw nation as follows;

There was no time the President of IYC, Eric Omare attended any meeting of Ijaw leaders where it was agreed that the present IYC national executive council should be part of the purported Ebi Waribigha led electoral process.

The IYC President, Eric Omare was never asked by Ijaw elders to go and pick form from the Ebi Waribigha purported electoral committee to re-contest for the IYC presidency which he has already won.

However, this present leadership of the IYC is committed to peace and unity of the Ijaw nation and would support any effort gear towards achieving peace. We are open to constructive dialogue and reconciliation. The IYC President, Eric Omare upon his election has been meeting with several Ijaw leaders and stakeholders on how to achieve peace in the IYC and is irrevocably committed to this project. No amount of blackmail and propaganda would discourage him from his peace mission.

Those spreading rumours are trouble makers bent on causing trouble in Ijaw land and the Niger Delta region and we call on security agencies to be on alert.

Many of the architects of the purported Okrika convention are only bent on causing problem in Ijaw land in the name of IYC elections.

We call on the general public especially Ijaw youths to completely disregard these unfounded rumours and continue to support the Eric Omare led national executive council of the Ijaw Youth Council.

Signed for the Ijaw Youth Council:

Barr. Henry Iyalla,

Spokesman