The Bayelsa State government has set up an expanded constitution review committee and an electoral committee to work toward the enthronement of a substantive leadership in Ovom Community in Yenagoa Local Government Area by the end of October.
This is just as it directed anyone acting as paramount ruler or any other elective officeholder in Ovom to stop forthwith as the state government has already put in place machinery to oversee the affairs of the community between now and when a new monarch will be elected.
The Chairman of the Ovom Constitution Review Committee is the Chairman of Yenagoa Local Government Area, 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 Chieftaincy Affairs, Chief Perekeme Bertola, is the chairman of the Ovom Chieftaincy Electoral Committee with the Chairman of Yenagoa Rural Development Authority (RDA), Mr. Bobby Gabriel, as a member.
Other members of the electoral committee include the Special Adviser on Security Matters, Agberebi Akpoebi, 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, Ayibanengiyefa Egba.
Also, to serve as members are one nominee each from the state Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, as well as the office of the deputy chief of staff, Government House.
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Constituting the two committees during a meeting with stakeholders of the community at the Government House, Yenagoa, on Tuesday, the Deputy Governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, stressed the need for the feuding parties to sink their differences in the interest of peace and development.
Ewhrudjakpo said 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 the state government’s efforts at restoring sustainable peace and stability in the community.
The deputy governor, who assured that the election into the Ovom Ebeniken would be conducted before the end of October this year, charged the electoral committee to issue the nomination form to every eligible person at no cost.
Addressing some concerns raised at the meeting, the deputy governor directed the 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 the old and the new constitutions, which are 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 October 2, 2025. Once they finish the review and adopt every clause, it will not be subject 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 the government will provide everything needed for the election.”
