Gov Diri Receives INC Reconciliation Report, Promises Broad Consultations

Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has pledged that his administration will carefully study the recommendations of the Reconciliation Committee set up to address the leadership crisis in the Ijaw National Congress (INC) before taking any action.

The governor said the committee’s recommendations would be subjected to broad consultations to ensure they promote lasting peace, stability, and unity within the Ijaw nation.

Diri made the pledge while receiving the report of the eight-member committee at Government House, Yenagoa.

The committee was inaugurated on May 26, 2026, following the controversy that trailed the INC presidential election, with a mandate to reconcile aggrieved parties and restore harmony within the apex socio-cultural organisation of the Ijaw people.

Commending the committee for completing its assignment within the one-month deadline, the governor described its members as individuals of proven integrity who had justified the confidence reposed in them.

According to him, the report goes beyond resolving internal disputes, as it provides a roadmap for strengthening the unity and future of the Ijaw nation.

He described the INC as the foremost institution representing the identity, aspirations, and collective interests of the Ijaw people, stressing that its stability is critical to the progress of the ethnic nationality.

“We cannot stand aloof while such a vital institution drifts without direction. The Congress and the people rise or fall together. The committee has faithfully discharged its mandate by producing a report capable of rebuilding trust and restoring our collective purpose as Ijaw people,” Diri said.

“When I inaugurated this committee, I said the destiny of the Ijaw nation was too precious to be left unattended. You understood the urgency and responded with diligence and courage. What you have presented is not just a report but a pathway to unity and renewed hope,” he added.

Presenting the report, Chairman of the Reconciliation Committee and former Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Dr. Mathew Seiyefa, said the committee consulted extensively with all stakeholders involved in the disputed election.

He disclosed that the committee met with contestants in the election, members of the electoral committee, the INC executive, leaders from the various zones of the organisation, and other prominent stakeholders across the Ijaw nation. It also received memoranda to guide its deliberations.

Seiyefa said the consultations revealed a widespread desire among stakeholders for the revival and repositioning of the INC to effectively champion the interests of the Ijaw people.

According to him, the committee envisioned a more inclusive, consultative, and advocacy-driven INC that would command greater public confidence and effectively address issues affecting the Ijaw nation.

He noted that the overwhelming consensus during the consultations was the need not only to preserve the INC but also to renew and strengthen it to meet contemporary challenges.

“The common thread throughout our engagements was the passion for the survival, renewal, and reinvigoration of the INC. There was a clear yearning for an organisation that would rise to defend the cause of the Ijaw people. That aspiration guided our deliberations and informed the recommendations contained in this report,” Seiyefa said.

By Owunna Goodness

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