OVOM Leadership Crisis: Bayelsa Gov’t sets up CRC, ELECO, Fixes Ebeniken Election in October

By: Odieh Ramon, Yenagoa.

Bayelsa State Government has set up an expanded constitution review committee (CRC) and an electoral committee to assiduously work towards the enthronement of a substantive leadership in Ovom Community in Yenagoa Local Government Area by the end of October this year.

This is just as it directed anyone acting as paramount ruler or any other elective office holder in Ovom to stop forthwith as government has already put in place machinery to oversee the affairs of the community between now and when a new Ebeniken will be elected.

The Chairman of the Ovom constitution review committee is the Chairman of Yenagoa Local Government Area, Hon. Bulodisiye Ndiwari, while a nominee from the Office of the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice is to serve as Secretary.

Members of the committee, which has one month to complete its assignment, are 15 members each from the subsisting five compounds including five females and the compound chiefs or their nominees.

On the other hand, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Chieftain Affairs, Chief Perekeme Bertola, is the Chairman of the Ovom Chieftain Electoral Committee with the Chairman of Yenagoa Rural Development Authority (RDA), Mr Bobby Gabriel as member.

Other ELECO members include the Special Adviser on Security Matters, CP Agberebi Akpoebi (Rtd), Technical Adviser on Special Duties, Mr Tonworimi Embiowei, and a nominee each from the Member representing Yenagoa Constituency One at the state House of Assembly, Hon Ayibanengiyefa Egba,

Also to serve as members are; one nominee each from the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs as well as the office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Government House.

Constituting the two committees during a meeting with stakeholders of the community in Government House, Yenagoa, on Tuesday, the Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, stressed the need for the feuding parties to sink their differences in the interest of peace and development.

According to Senator Ewhrudjakpo, the state government is not happy over the leadership vacuum in Ovom, being one of the host communities to several critical government facilities in the state capital.

He therefore called on all stakeholders including the Chiefs and people of Ovom to heartily embrace government’s efforts at restoring sustainable peace and stability in the community.

Senator Ewhrudjakpo, who assured that election into the Ovom Ebeniken would be conducted before the end of October this year, charged the ELECO to issue the nomination form to every eligible person at no cost.

Addressing some concerns raised at the meeting, the Deputy Governor directed the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Biriyai Dambo (SAN), and his Deputy Chief of Staff, Comrade Gowon Toruyouyei, to liaise with the community stakeholders to withdraw all ongoing court cases in respect of the vacant Ovom Ebeniken stool.

His words: “Both old and the new constitution that is causing part of the problem should be made available to the constitution review committee so that they can start their work immediately.

“The Committee has one month to review the constitution, which means they should complete their assignment by the 2nd of October, 2025. Once they finish the review and adopt every clause, it will not be subjected to any other referendum.

“For the electoral committee, you are to state the guidelines for the election. And for purposes of transparency, nobody who is eligible should pay any money for
the nomination form because government will provide everything needed for the election.”

Speaker after speaker including the Member representing Yenagoa Constituency One at the state House of Assembly, Hon Ayibanengiyefa Egba, the Mayor of Yenagoa City, Hon. Bulodisiye Ndiwari, and the Chairman, Local Government Service Commission, Chief Lambert Ototo, called on government to directly oversee the Ovom Ebeniken electoral process.

Factional leaders who also made contributions at the meeting included Chief Loveday Abaribote, Chief Deme Tywhyte, Chief Moses W. Moses, Chief Otes Simeon, Chief Thank-God Gagbe, Chief Stanley Yelegbe, and Chief Adekunle Egba.