Egbesu Assembly Sues FG, National Assembly Over Resource Control, 24 New LGAs in Bayelsa
The Supreme Egbesu Assembly has taken legal action against the National Assembly and the Federal Government of Nigeria over demands bordering on resource control and the creation of additional local government areas in Bayelsa State.
Details obtained by PulseNets show that the suit, filed at the Federal High Court Yenagoa, seeks the establishment of 24 new Local Government Areas in the state alongside constitutional backing for resource control within Ijaw territory.
The legal action, marked Suit No: FHC/YNA/CS/63/2026, was filed on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, by plaintiffs including Felix Tuodolo, Weri Digifa, Ebi Waribigha, Kabowei Akamade, Rosebella Jackson, Thomas Jacklloyd, Primrose Kpokposei, David Imole and Welman Warri.
Also listed as defendants in the matter are the Clerk of the National Assembly and the Attorney General of the Federation.
Court filings obtained by PulseNets indicate that the plaintiffs anchored their case on what they described as the failure of the federal authorities, particularly the National Assembly, to deliberate on and amend provisions of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria to accommodate resource control and additional LGAs in Bayelsa State.
The claimants are consequently urging the court to compel constitutional amendments that would legitimize resource control rights and facilitate the creation of more local government councils in the state.
The development was confirmed in a press statement released on Tuesday, where the Egbesu Assembly described the lawsuit as a fulfillment of its earlier commitment.
The group told PulseNets that it had, on February 12, 2026, formally written to both the federal government and the National Assembly, issuing a 21-day ultimatum to address longstanding demands for resource control and LGA expansion.
The statement reads:
“Recall that on 12th February 2026, we did inform you that we have written to the National Assembly and the federal government on the need for the creation of additional 24 Local Government Areas in Bayelsa State as well as the control of our God-given natural resources in Ijaw territory.
“We promised that if the National Assembly and or federal government did not respond to these age-long demands, we were going to seek legal actions to address our demands.
“We gave a time frame of twenty-one days for them to respond to us—we got no response!
“Today the Supreme Egbesu Assembly (SEA) has kept to its promise.
“We instituted an action at the Federal High Court Yenagoa against the National Assembly and the Federal Government after the expiration of the 21 days. Today we were in court for the first hearing of both cases.”
The group further maintained that agitation for additional local government areas in Bayelsa predates the state’s creation, stressing that the current structure is inadequate.
The SEA stated:
“there is nowhere in any democracy where a state is limited to just 8 LGAs: more pathetic is the fact that Bayelsa State is an oil bearing State.
“Bayelsa State presently has twenty four Rural Development Authorities (RDA) which can be easily converted to Local Government areas thereby making the State eligible to participate in the sharing of allocation and the development of their areas for the purpose of justice and equity.
“Gentlemen, we wish to inform you that our suit on Resource Control is a revival of our age long agitation.”
The assembly further argued that Nigeria’s fiscal framework remains unjust to oil-producing communities, insisting that contributors to national revenue should retain control over their resources.
It added that the legal move represents a broader struggle for economic autonomy for the Ijaw people.
“The Ijaw Nation must be free from all economic strangulation carried out against them by successive Governments,” the statement added.
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The group called on Ijaw stakeholders and the wider Niger Delta community to remain committed to the legal process by attending court proceedings, emphasizing that “your solidarity is very vital at this point of time in our history.”
It also urged regional organizations and concerned citizens to support what it described as a collective push toward managing natural resources within the region.
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