The Ijaw National Congress has congratulated Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State on his reelection victory for a second term in office in the just-concluded November 11, 2023, governorship polls.
This was conveyed in a statement signed on Wednesday by the President of INC, Prof. Benjamin Okaba, on behalf of the Board of Trustees, the National Executive Council, and members of the apex pan-Ijaw socio-cultural organisation.
It stated that, in line with the provisions of the INC constitution, the leadership of the body could not demonstrate support for any particular candidate during the electioneering period.
The statement noted that the Congress, however, has the mandate to felicitate the declared winner of the contest.
The INC condemned all forms and degrees of violence that occurred before and during the election.
It advised any political party or candidate that was not satisfied with the outcome of the polls not to take laws into their own hands but to demonstrate a good spirit of sportsmanship and join hands with the declared winner for the good of Bayelsa in particular and the Ijaw nation in general.It also strongly admonished the governor to be magnanimous in victory by extending “his usual benevolence” to all and continuing to make the dividends of democracy felt and enjoyed by all citizens and residents in the state.