Title: Egbesu Assembly Seeks Court Order for 24 New LGAs, Resource Control for Bayelsa Date Published: 12 February 2026 Description: The Supreme Egbesu Assembly (SEA), an Ijaw socio-cultural organisation, has initiated legal action to compel the Federal Government and the National Assembly to create 24 additional local government areas for Bayelsa State.The Secretary-General of the group, Mr Felix Tuodolo, disclosed this on Wednesday while addressing journalists in Yenagoa, saying the organisation had opted for legal and constitutional means to advance its demands.According to Tuodolo, the SEA has commenced pre-action proceedings by formally writing to the Attorney-General of the Federation and the National Assembly, requesting a response within 21 days or risk being taken to court.He noted that Bayelsa, unlike other states created in 1996, was left with only eight local government areas, despite meeting the constitutional requirements for more councils. He added that other states created at the same time were allocated more than the minimum number of local governments.Tuodolo recalled that the late former governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, had attempted to address the imbalance by creating 24 local government areas, a move approved by the Bayelsa State House of Assembly but not ratified by the National Assembly.He said the failure of federal ratification forced the state government to redesignate the proposed councils as rural development areas.Beyond local government creation, Tuodolo said the group was also pressing for full resource control and fiscal federalism, arguing that the current 13 per cent derivation formula was unjust to the Ijaw people whose oil and gas resources largely sustain the Nigerian economy.He explained that the group had abandoned violent agitation in favour of lawful engagement, stressing that maturity and experience had informed the shift to a civilised approach.“It is unfair and unacceptable that Bayelsa, despite fulfilling the constitutional requirements for local government creation, still receives allocation for only eight councils, while states like Kano receive allocation for 44,” Tuodolo said.He reaffirmed the group’s resolve to pursue legal redress for Bayelsa State and the Ijaw ethnic nationality.Also speaking, a female Ijaw activist, Mrs Primrose Oringeriya-Kpolokposei, expressed confidence that the legal process would deliver justice and address the long-standing aspirations of the Ijaw people. Attached Images: cdc51ac4c30f6b5657e19079162a85aeb615acdbf2bec576ca170fd9a247c352.jpg Attached Video: None