Aspirant to the office of 1st Vice President of the Ijaw National Congress(INC) in the March 7th, 2026 polls of the body and its outgoing Publicity Secretary, Chief(Engr) Ezonebi Oyakemeagbegha has said the number two position of the apex Ijaw sociocultural organization expected to emerge from the Western clans of the organization has been micro zoned by stakeholders of the INC from its Western zone to his clan, Tuomo.
The Tide learnt that Tuomo is a kingdom in the Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State, just as the INC’S Western zone compromises Ijaws of Delta, Edo and Ondo States.
Speaking with newsmen in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital on Tuesday, the group’s spokesman and Vice Presidential hopeful declared that having served the Ijaw nation for about four years meritoriously as image maker of its apex body, stakeholders of the Western zone prevailed on him to run for a higher office where he could render higher services.
He noted that during the number of years he has served as Publicity Scribe of the INC, the organization’s voice has been heard world over, stressing that prior to the emergence of the outgoing national executive council of the body it was in comatose.
Oyakemeagbegha said working in synergy, the outgoing leadership has made remarkable achievements, noting that before their tenure non-Ijaw groups, including the Indigenous People of Biafra(IPOB), were on the verge of annexing Ijaw territories due to the absence of a map specifying Ijaw communities.
He however stated that the wont to annexing Ijaw territories by other ethnic nationalilities were halted with the production of a map identifying Ijaw communities and territories by the outgoing national executive council, saying he would be more committed to the growth and development of the Ijaw land more than ever before when elected into the current position he is vying for.
“Though it may not be constitutional, however, stakeholders from the Western zone of the INC met and micro zoned the position of 1st Vice President in the forthcoming national elections to my clan, Tuomo.
“Stakeholders from the zone also in their wisdom, after due consultations and considerations called on me to contest for the position of the 1st Vice President which is zoned to the Western zone because of my trajectory of meritorious service to the Ijaw nation as Publicity Secretary in the outgoing national executive council (NEC) of the INC”, he said.
“Before our emergence as NEC members, certain ethnic-based groups in Nigeria, particularly IPOB almost annexed parts of Ijaw territories as theirs, but we said No.
“We’ve since produced a map showing and identifying all Ijaw communities in Nigeria. And so this and many others are some of our achievements working in synergy as members of NEC. By God’s grace I’ll win. When elected I intend to do more as 1st Vice President of the INC for the Ijaw nation”, Oyakemeagbegha added.