Chief Ezonebi Oyakemeagbegha, the outgoing Publicity Secretary of the Ijaw National Congress (INC) and a leading aspirant for the position of 1st Vice President, has declared that stakeholders in the organization’s Western Zone have micro-zoned the office to his Tuomo clan in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State.
Oyakemeagbegha, who hails from the Tuomo clan, made the disclosure during an interaction with journalists in Yenagoa on Tuesday.
He said the decision followed extensive consultations within the zone, which covers Ijaw communities in Delta, Edo, and Ondo states.
The vice presidential hopeful attributed the zoning to his track record of service over the past four years as the INC’s image maker.
He noted that stakeholders urged him to vie for the higher office to enable him to contribute even more significantly to the Ijaw nation.
“Though it may not be constitutional, 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,” Oyakemeaghe said.
He further explained that after due consideration of his performance, the stakeholders specifically called on him to contest the position, which has been zoned to the Western zone.
Reflecting on his tenure as Publicity Secretary, Oyakemeaghe highlighted key achievements of the outgoing National Executive Council (NEC).
He said the INC had been revitalized from a state of near dormancy, with its voice now amplified globally.
A major accomplishment, he emphasized, was the production of a comprehensive map delineating Ijaw communities and territories across Nigeria. This initiative, he claimed, effectively countered attempts by other ethnic groups—including the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)—to lay claim to or annex parts of Ijaw land due to the previous absence of such documentation.
“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,” Oyakemeaghe stated.
“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.”
Oyakemeaghe expressed confidence in securing victory in the March 7, 2026, INC national elections and pledged greater commitment to the growth, development, and protection of Ijaw interests if elected as 1st Vice President.
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