The Movement for the Survival of the Izon Ethnic Nationality in the Niger Delta (MOSIEND) has raised alarm over the alleged selective disqualification of candidates in the 2026 Ijaw National Congress (INC) elections scheduled for March 7.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Dr. Kennedy Tonjo West, National President of MOSIEND, urged Ijaw stakeholders to urgently intervene to prevent what he described as an impending crisis within the apex socio-cultural body of the Ijaw people.
MOSIEND warned of what it termed a grave and unfolding danger surrounding the ongoing electoral process. According to the group, the exercise currently presented as an election appears to be a carefully orchestrated process capable of undermining the very foundation upon which the INC was established, adding that the integrity of the institution is at stake.
The group specifically condemned the disqualification of respected frontline candidates, particularly Elder Timi Kaiser Ogoriba, describing the move as a predetermined attempt to impose weak leadership on the Ijaw nation through technicalities rather than democratic choice.
MOSIEND challenged the justification for the exclusion, including the alleged one-year membership requirement, describing it as legally questionable, morally indefensible, and politically provocative. The group argued that any constitution not duly ratified by a properly constituted National Congress lacks both moral and legal authority to determine eligibility, noting that deploying such an instrument selectively against credible contenders amounts to weaponizing procedure against democracy.
According to the statement, the Ijaw nation is too historically grounded and politically conscious to be misled by procedural technicalities designed to achieve predetermined outcomes. It added that Elder Ogoriba represents a generation of patriots whose sacrifices predate the institutionalization of the INC, and that his exclusion is an attempt to rewrite the history of the Ijaw struggle and sever the organization from its ideological roots.
MOSIEND further expressed concern over what it described as the troubling silence of key stakeholders, including governors of Ijaw states and the outgoing INC President, Benjamin Ogele Okaba. While acknowledging the past contributions of Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, to Ijaw grassroots mobilization, the group warned that silence at such a critical moment could be interpreted as consent.
The organization cautioned that allowing the election to proceed under the current circumstances could result in severe and lasting consequences, including loss of credibility for the INC, protracted litigation, the emergence of parallel leadership structures, deepened distrust among the Ijaw people, and long-term institutional instability. It stressed that leadership produced through what it described as manipulated processes would lack the moral authority required to represent the Ijaw people credibly at national and international levels.
To avert what it termed a historic crisis, MOSIEND called for the immediate dissolution of the Justice F. F. Tabai-led Electoral Committee (ELECO), stating that the committee has lost the confidence of a significant segment of stakeholders and has demonstrated insufficient sensitivity to the unity and stability of the Ijaw nation. The group also demanded the immediate postponement of the elections, arguing that proceeding amid widespread distrust would only delegitimize the outcome.
In addition, MOSIEND called for the convening of an emergency national stakeholders’ engagement to determine the legal validity of the 2019 Constitution, establish a broadly acceptable electoral framework, and appoint a neutral and credible Electoral Committee. The group maintained that these measures are safeguards rather than obstacles, insisting that the greatest threat to the INC is not postponement but a discredited election.
Members of the Justice F. F. Tabai-led INC Electoral Committee had earlier stated that they would be guided strictly by the INC constitution in conducting the elections. However, the committee disqualified Elder Timi Kaiser Ogoriba from the presidential race, as his name was missing from the list of cleared candidates released on Saturday.
Ogoriba had previously dismissed reports of his disqualification as “dead on arrival,” insisting that he met all constitutional requirements for eligibility.