By HENRY OVIE

Top leaders of the Okpe Nation on Monday called on the Delta State Judiciary to wade into the Okpe Union matter to avoid national embarrassment.

?The Orerokpe High Court is a court of Coordinate Jurisdiction with the Federal High Court and therefore lacks the powers to interpret the judgment of the Federal High Court. It is a trite position of Nigerian law that for matters and entities under the CAC which is a Federal Agency, the Federal High Court has exclusive jurisdiction and the State High Court totally lacks jurisdiction to entertain such matters.?

They also called on all stakeholders of the Okpe Nation, including the Governor of Delta State, who is a personality of Okpe extraction to take steps to end these distracting illegalities.

?It is unfortunate that some unscrupulous elements are making the Okpe Nation to have bad publicity throughout the country.?

The notable Okpe leaders in a statement shortly after the emergency meeting of the Okpe Union National Executive Council (NEC) said the incontrovertible averments in the affidavit presented to the Federal High Court, Lagos, upon which the court based its judgement clearly stated that Okakuro Onome was a former President General and that Prof. Natufe was the President General of the Okpe Union which approached the court.

Entitled ?Okakuro Robert Onome should attend to Federal High Court contempt process instead of shopping for for a to save himself?, the leaders said the National Executive Committee of the Okpe Union would appeal the Orerokpe High Court Ruling and file for a Stay of Execution even though the Okpe Union remains armed with the substantive judgement of the Federal High Court, Lagos and the Ruling of the Federal High Court, Abuja which recognise the leadership of the Okpe Union, led by Prof. Natufe as the legitimate National Leadership of the Okpe Union.

?That having been served with Contempt Processes from the Federal High Court, Lagos, which gave the judgment that Okakuro Robert Onome seeks to benefit from, he should be honourable enough to enter appearance there to argue his case rather than Forum Shopping which amounts to an abuse of the court process. The contempt process against anyone who violates the orders contained in the substantive judgement of the Federal High Court, Lagos shall be pursued to its logical conclusion.?

The statement signed by Prof. Igho Natufe, President General, Okpe Union (Worldwide) and Barrister Kingsley Ehensiri Akpederin, General Secretary, Okpe Union (Worldwide) shed light on the outcome of the application by Okakuro Robert Onome, former President General of the Okpe Union at the Delta State High Court, Orerokpe

The leaders called on all Okpe Union members, branches, and regions, to continue their work for the Okpe Union and the Okpe Nation.

?The current national leadership of the Okpe Union remains committed to reorganising the Union to achieve its potentials in the comity of Ethnic Nationalities as we prepare to celebrate the 95th founding anniversary of the Okpe Union in May, 2025.?

On October 3, 2020, HRM Orhue I, Orodje of Okpe, purportedly dissolved the elected NEC of the Okpe Union which was then headed by Okakuro Robert Onome and imposed his own Interim National Executive led by one Prof. Emurobome Idolor. As Okakuro Onome had just then been appointed by the Orodje as the District Head of Ughoton District (which made him a sub-traditional ruler), he, rather than protecting the autonomy of the Okpe Union according to its Constitution, opted to publicly support the taking over of the administration of the Okpe Union by the palace and pledged to work with the Interim Executive that the Orodje had imposed. The Interim Executive in turn appointed Okakuro Onome as one of the trustees of the Okpe Union which they submitted to the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

Following the purported dissolution by the Orodje, members of NEC previously headed by Okakuro Onome before his abdication of office and betrayal, resolved to abide by the provisions of the Okpe Union Constitution by rejecting the attempt to take over the administration of the Union by the palace. Mr. Patrick Akpotor, the next in hierarchy, according to the Okpe Union Constitution, assumed the position of Acting President General and presided over the already fixed General Assembly of the Okpe Union which took place on November 14, 2020. The General Assembly, being the highest decision making organ of the Union resolved to reject the attempted take-over of the Okpe Union by the palace; directed the elected NEC to complete its tenure; set up an Electoral Committee to organise elections as soon as the tenure completes and also directed the NEC, headed by Mr. Akpotor, (who was Deputy to Okakuro Onome), to seek legal redress over the actions of the Orodje if mediation fails.

On May 15, 2021, a new NEC headed by Prof. Igho Natufe was elected at the expiration of the tenure of the NEC that the Orodje purportedly dissolved. Rather than recognising the new executive, the palace continued funding the imposed faction to undermine the newly elected leadership. As three different attempts to get the Orodje to understand that his interference in the administration of the Okpe Union was unlawful failed, the Prof. Natufe led NEC opted to implement the General Assembly resolution to seek legal redress at the Federal High Court, Lagos which gave judgment on January 19, 2023 in favour of the elected NEC. Incidentally, the illegal faction had surreptitiously procured a new certificate for the Okpe Union with a new Board of Trustees which included Okakuro Onome (the former President General that abdicated office). The illegal Interim Executive had also, in anticipation of a loss in the Federal High Court case, arranged a kangaroo election and handed it over to another group headed by Okakuro Joseph Aboze. The Prof. Natufe led leadership promptly filed an application before the Federal High Court, Abuja, which the illegal group had approached to authorise the appointment of the trustees. The Abuja Court vacated the authorising order, nullified the Board of Trustees and directed the CAC to expunge their names (including Okakuro Onome), from the records of the CAC relating to the Okpe Union.

After the illegal faction represented by Prof. Emurobome Idolor led group and later Okakuro Joseph Aboze stepped aside in response to the judgment of the Federal High Court, Lagos and the ruling of the Federal High Court Abuja, Okakuro Onome declared himself President General describing himself as the beneficiary of the judgment of the Federal High Court, Lagos. He filed a case at the Delta State High Court, Orerokpe, asking the court to interpret the judgement of the Federal High Court, Lagos in his favour and claimed that six of the members of the current NEC led by Prof. Natufe are also part of his EXCO.

As a law-abiding organisation, the Okpe Union led by Prof. Natufe entered an appearance at the Orerokpe High Court. In response to Okakuro Onome parading himself as President General of the Okpe Union after his tenure had ended on November 16, 2020, and the tenure of the NEC after him is even nearing completion, the Prof. Natufe leadership got the process of Contempt of Court (Form 48) of the Federal High Court, Lagos, which gave the judgement over which he seeks interpretation, served on him so that he would be at the proper forum to argue that he is the beneficiary of the judgment. It is therefore shocking that the Delta State High Court, Orerokpe, has given a ruling on March 14, 2025, endorsing Okakuro Onome as President General.

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