Some 450 delegates nominated from all Ijaw clans and chapters across the country as well as in the Diaspora will tomorrow converge at the Ijaw House in Yenagoa to elect new executives of Ijaw National Congress (INC).
INC is the apex Ijaw ethnic socio-political group.
Addressing newsmen in Yenagoa yesterday on the preparation for the elections, the Chairman of INC Electoral Committee, Rear Adimral W. G. Yanga (rtd), said all was set for the elections.
Yanga said that 31 candidates were jostling for various positions in the elections scheduled to hold tomorrow.
“At this instant, every material and personnel for the election have been put in place and are ready to prosecute the election to a successful conclusion, he said.
He said that sensitive and non-sensitive materials were already prepared, waiting for the D-Day.
“The election is for delegates only and the list of delegates, as composed by the various clans, chapters and Diaspora that make up the INC has been handed over to us by the steering committee.
“So, non-delegates are not expected at the venue of accreditation and the election, respectively.
“Before the voting proper, candidates for key positions like the president, vice president, secretary and publicity secretary will present manifestos.
“We are not aware of some complainants that some of the candidates attended some of our activities, we hereby restate categorically that all our activities have so far been executed as per plan except where expediency dictated an adjustment,” he said.
INC leadership has been vacant for sometime now.
He said that the committee would distribute 37,422 bags of 50 kilogrammes of foreign par-boiled rice to orphanages and IDPs across Zone ‘C’ which included Edo and Delta.
He said that 2,140 kegs of 25 litre vegetable oil, 1,435 bales and 18 sacks of second hand clothes, four sacks and 50 cartons as well as 6,391 pairs of second hand shoes would also be distributed.
“Also to be distributed are 200 ladies’ bags, 3,210 cartons of tomatoe paste, 103 pairs of new shoes, 320 cartons of Eva soap, 1,001 cartons of Savon soap, 97 rolls of cotton fabrics and 55 rolls of cotton materials,” he said.