Destabilization: Okpe Union lists enemies, says Robert Onome abdicated office

Top leaders of the Okpe Nation on Wednesday narrated how enemies of Okpe Kingdom infiltrated the Okpe Union.

They also clarified that there was nowhere in the Okpe Union Constitution which suggests one man rule and dissolution of the National Executive Committee by His Royal Majesty.

His Royal Majesty stunned Nigerians when he unilaterally dissolved the National Executive Committee of the Okpe Union in 2020.

‘’On the 3rd of October, 2020, for reasons best known to HRM Orhue I, Orodje of Okpe, he invited some leaders of the Okpe Union (under the leadership of Okakuro Robert Onome) to the Orodje’s palace where he read out a declaration that he was dissolving the Executive Council of the Okpe Union and imposing his own Interim Executive Committee on the union and banning all members of the then executive committee from getting involved in any leadership position of the Okpe Union for two years. Of the then membership of the National Executive Council of the Okpe Union, only Okakuro Robert Onome accepted the dissolution declaration by picking up the microphone and pledging his support for the Imposed Interim executive committee.

In a communiqué from an emergency meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Okpe Union on the approach of the High Court, Orerokpe by a member of the Delta State Advisory and Peace Building Council, Okakuro Robert Onome to declare him as President General of the Okpe Union, the leaders maintained that Robert Onome abdicated the Office of President General.

‘’By the operation of the Okpe Union Constitution, the next in hierarchy, Mr. Patrick Akpotor assumed the office of Acting President General and led the EXCO to complete the tenure after the General Assembly (the highest decision making organ of the union, held on the 14th of November, 2020), set up an Electoral Committee that conducted elections which the Prof. Igho Natufe led EXCO became elected as the National Executive Council of the Okpe Union on the 15th of May, 2021’’.

The communiqué signed by Prof. Igho Natufe, President General, Okpe Union (Worldwide), Barrister Kingsley Ehensiri Akpederin, General Secretary, Okpe Union (Worldwide) and Mrs. Atarhe Abuh, National Publicity Secretary, Okpe Union (Worldwide) listed those spoiling for anarchy.

‘’It took over a year for the Palace of the Orodje and a group led by Okakuro Joseph Aboze to whom the Illegal Interim EXCO handed over, to comply with the judgement of the Federal High Court. The same group of persons who orchestrated the previous destabilization of the Okpe Union have put together another plot with an approach to the State High Court, Orerokpe requesting the court to interpret the Federal High Court, Lagos Judgement for the Prof. Igho Natufe Executive Committee of the Okpe Union and declare former President General, Okakuro Robert Onome as President General’’.

The leaders underscored the ascendancy of Patrick Akpotor to the Okpe Union’s Presidency, breach of constitutionality, attempts by eminent Okpe nationals to mediate and recommend to the palace not to interfere with the administration of the Okpe Union and the Federal High Court, Lagos suit by the elected National Executive Council led by Prof. Igho Natufe.

‘’In the suit filed by Okakuro Robert Onome (Suit No HOR/M/2/2024), the Orerokpe High Court is being asked to interpret the Judgment of the Federal High Court which was delivered on the 19th of January 2023 in the suit filed by the Prof. Igho Natufe led National Executive Council of the Okpe Union in May 2022 (Suit No FHC/L/CS/603/2022). The Federal High Court, Lagos gave victory to the elected Prof. Igho Natufe led NEC. Specifically, the judge granted all the reliefs sought which include declaration that the purported dissolution of the elected National Executive Council of Okpe Union by HRM Orhue I, Orodje of Okpe was illegal and of no effect whatsoever, nullification of the Illegal Interim Executive Committee headed by Prof. Emrobome Idolor, and an order of perpetual injunction restraining the Imposed Interim, their privies and all those who derived authority from their actions from acting in any capacity in the Okpe Union’’.

They said since Robert Onome abdicated the Office of President General, he is either trailing one controversy or vice versa.

‘’Okakuro Robert Onome and some others teamed up with the Illegal Interim EXCO to approach the Corporate Affairs Commission to appoint a Board of Trustees for the Okpe Union as the previous trustees had all passed on. The legitimate NEC led by Prof. Igho Natufe had already commenced the process of regularising the affairs of the union with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) which included the process of appointing trustees with an application to the Federal High Court, Lagos. The Illegal Interim funded heavily by some Palace chiefs got ahead through the backdoor and surreptitiously procured a new Certificate of Registration with a Board of Trustees that included Okakuro Robert Onome. The elected NEC was however steadfast with the judicial redress believing that the wheel of justice grinds slowly but surely.

Wondering whether they are in a barbaric republic where all barbaric actions must be accepted as the norm, the prominent Okpe leaders listed steps taken to address the wacky ways of individuals and groups working to destabilize the Okpe Union.  .

‘’To ensure that the Board of Trustees and Certificate procured through the backdoor was not employed to further destabilize the Okpe Union, the court validated Prof. Igho Natufe Executive Committee had to approach the Federal High Court, Abuja (which was earlier used by the Illegal Interim EXCO to legalise their backdoor Board of Trustees/Certificate) so that the same court would vacate the earlier empowering order and nullify the trustees and certificate. On the 30th of April 2024, the Federal High Court, Abuja gave its Ruling (Suit No.FHC/ABJ/CS/395) and nullified the Board of Trustees/Certificate and ordered the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to expunge them (including Okakuro Robert Onome) from the records of the Okpe Union with CAC.

They said the good people of Okpe Kingdom have continued to wonder how any person who wished Okpe Kingdom well would approach the High Court, Orerokpe to declare him as President General of the Okpe Union after abdicating the office.

‘’The case is res judicata as it has already been decided by a court of competent jurisdiction. A court of coordinate jurisdiction cannot sit on appeal or entertain any facts different from the facts that were laid before the court that had given the judgement. For the sake of emphasis, in paragraph 17&18 of the Affidavit with which the Federal High Court, Lagos gave the Okpe Union Autonomy Judgement on the 19th of January 2023, it was clearly averred that Prof. Igho Natufe was the elected President General whose executive committee instituted the suit. Okakuro Robert Onome is a stranger to that case and can therefore not claim the benefit of a suit that he had battled against, along with the Illegal Interim executive committee. But in any case, the previous tenure which began in November 2016 (with a four-year tenure) was a collective one of the executive committee and not that of one man’’.

The leaders described the Orerokpe High Court Suit as unnecessary since those behind it know the position of the law on the matter.

‘’The Okpe Union National Executive Committee (NEC) is in possession of videos of Robert Onome accompanying the nullified Illegal Interim executive committee in press conferences and also in possession of the audio recording of the 3rd of October 2020 event in which he abdicated office. For reasons of preserving the integrity of revered institutions, NEC has resolved not to let the latter one out. NEC shall recommend to the next General Assembly of the Okpe Union the expunging of the name of Okakuro Robert Onome from the list of former officials of the Okpe Union where he fails to accede to this advice’’.