By David Owei

The National Secretary of the Ijaw National Congress INC, Engineer Ebipamowei Wodu has submitted his interest/nomination form to contest as President.

Wodu, who is one of the leading aspirant to succeed Professor Benjamin Okaba, was accompanied to the Ijaw House, the Secretariat of the INC amidst pump and peagentry with scores of aspirants endorsing him as the most qualified for the job.

Speaking with newsmen, Engineer Ebipamowei Wodu said he played pivotal role in assisting the current leadership of the Association headed by Professor Benjamin Okaba in reviving the INC from the state of comatose.

According to Engineer Wodu, from the beginning of the struggle, there has never being a membership register until the present executive took over office and as an Engineer, he assisted the INC to draw a road map linking Ijaw communities in the coastal region.

Highlighting other achievements, Engineer Wodu explained that with his wealth of experience as National Secretary who as held several offices, if given the opportunity to pilot the affairs of INC, he will consolidate of the gains recorded and move the Ijaw nation to greater heights.

Aspirant for the the position of Vice President 2, Dame Rose Obioforibo from Eastern zone described, Engineer Wodu as a team player who listens but passionate about the Ijaw struggles .

Another Aspirant vying for the position Vice President 3, Chief Kennedy Odiowei said Engineer Wodu is the most qualified among contestants because he competent and capable to deliver if given the mandate, calling on delegates and aspirants to vote for him.

Also Aspirant contesting for the National Secretary, Chief Philip Brown-Agu said his decision to the join Engineer Wodu campaign team was because of his track record and leadership style as National Secretary of INC, describing him as a better candidate with innovations that can move the Ijaw nation to the next level.

By Nelson Ogbu

Former Senate President and National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Senator David Mark, has declared that Nigerian legislators who lack strong grassroots support are political hostages in the hands of state governors.

Mark made the assertion while chairing the public presentation of the book The Burden of Legislators in Nigeria at the NAF Conference Centre, Abuja, where he delivered a blunt assessment of the power imbalance between the executive and the legislature in Nigeria’s democratic system.

According to him, the legislature, though the backbone of democracy, is the most vulnerable and most attacked arm of government, constantly under pressure from governors, political parties, the judiciary, the electorate and internal legislative weaknesses.

He said governors, as de facto leaders of party structures in the states, wield enormous influence over lawmakers, warning that at the slightest provocation, a governor can deny a legislator the party ticket or deploy state power to frustrate legislators who belong to opposition parties.

“Once you are elected, the problem becomes compounded,” Mark said, noting that many legislators operate in fear of governors who control party machinery and political structures.

However, he stressed that the situation is reversible. Mark argued that when a legislator is deeply rooted in his senatorial district with massive grassroots backing, the power dynamics change. “If you are strong in your constituency, instead of being at the mercy of your governor, the governor will be at your mercy,” he said.

The former Senate President explained that this conviction informed his decision to begin his political career in the legislature, not because it was glamorous, but because it remains the most important pillar of democracy. He urged Nigerians to exercise patience with lawmakers, noting that legislators are burdened with responsibilities that often arise from weak grassroots governance and failed service delivery.

Author of the book, Senator Effiong Bob, said the memoir is intended as a practical handbook for current and aspiring legislators, detailing the path to parliament, the realities of legislative work and the pressures of representation. He added that the book confronts key challenges such as excessive constituency demands and the damaging influence of political godfatherism, particularly in candidate selection.

The event attracted prominent political figures, including Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Enoh, and Senate President, Godswill Akpabio. The book was reviewed by Prof. Maxwell Gidado, SAN, and published by Premium Times.

By David Owei,Bayelsa

Marathoners from Plateau State emerged champions in the male and female categories of the 6th Senator Douye Diri (SDD) National Marathon held on Saturday in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.

James Gang, who came second last year, led the pack of 207 participants in this year’s race, breasting the tape in the elite male category in 30:58:75 secs, closely followed by Francis James, also from Plateau, in 32:05:87 secs.

Ishmael Sadjo from Cross River finished in third place in 32.14:31 secs.

In the elite female category, Plateau runners dominated with Akusho Lydia-Thomas coming first in 38.30.37 secs ahead of compatriots Vivian Obadiah (38:52.78 secs) and Tanko Iyanj (38.54.84 secs) in second and third positions respectively.

In the teens male category, Andrew Richards of Bishop Dimieri Grammar School, Yenagoa, came first while Okenema Samuel of Community Secondary School, Okutukutu, came second and Chinedu Deindein, also of BDGS, was third.

The teens female category saw ‎Igbeita Innocent of Divine International School, Yenagoa, Alex Sunshine and Yebiboh Favour respectively finish first, second and third respectively.

Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, who presented prizes to the winners, announced an increase in the prize money across all categories from the next edition.

He said winners of the elite category will get N2m from the 2027 edition and that the state will host an international marathon event in April this year.

The governor commended the organisers for the improvement in organisation and participation, and directed chairmen of the eight local governments in the state to organise similar marathon events in their areas.

Governor Diri stated that there was an abundance of budding talents in the rural areas that needed to be exposed through sporting events and expressed the hope that his directive would be carried out in next year’s edition.

His words: “I have been approached by some top sports officials in our country that, because of the good roads in our state, they want to bring an international marathon to Bayelsa, and I approved it. So, in April this year, we would have such event in our state capital.

“Beyond that, I believe this is the right form of empowerment; an empowerment that brings out your skill and talent. This is empowerment that sends you to the world.

“Today, I like to also challenge local government chairmen in Bayelsa to organise marathons in their areas in a small way. I like to see that dovetailing to the finals of the SDD Marathon.“

While congratulating the winners in all the categories, Diri noted that the SDD Marathon was geared towards fostering unity and discovering talents across the country and not only for the state indigenes.

In his opening remarks, the Bayelsa State Commissioner for Sports, Dr. Daniel Igali, appreciated the organisers for doing a good job with the competition, which he noted was deliberately organised to improve talents among the state’s middle distance runners.

Igali also stated that the distance in the sixth edition improved by one kilometer and thanked Governor Diri for his support for the competition and sports development in the state generally.

Also, the initiator of the SDD Marathon, Odonkumo Igbeita, expressed appreciation to Governor Diri for supporting and believing in his vision, which he said was a huge boost to youths of the state and for sports development.

He also commended the the wife of the governor, Dr Gloria Diri, Dr. Igali and sponsors for their immense support for the race.

Igbeita explained that the marathon initiative was to create wealth through sports and to identify young talents through the teens category.

While also appreciating the participants, he stated that with the introduction of the online registration, the organising committee received entries from international runners but later declined due to the prize money.

Highpoint of the event was the presentation of dummy cheques to the winners and runners-up.

‎Both Gang and Akusho got one million naira each as winners in the elite category while the runners-up received ₦500,000 and ₦300,000 for third place.

Fifty school bags were also given to student participants courtesy of the Glory Diri Foundation.