UPU Rejects Alleged Installation Of ‘Olare-Aja’ In Sapele, Describes Act As Illegal And Provocative

— Says Sapele Is Indigenous Okpe Land, Warns Against Parallel Traditional Structures.

By FactsReporters

The Urhobo Progress Union (UPU), the apex socio-cultural organisation of the Urhobo Nation worldwide, has strongly condemned the alleged clandestine and unauthorised installation of an individual styled as “Olare-Aja (Okpako-Amua)” by some Itsekiri settler elements in Sapele Community, Delta State, describing the move as illegal, historically unfounded, and a grave provocation.

In a comprehensive position paper issued on Sunday, December 14, 2025, and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Comr. Dr. Prince Kehinde Taiga, the UPU stated that the purported installation represents a gross violation of Okpe native law and custom, as well as a direct affront to established traditional authority and peaceful coexistence in the state.

According to the UPU, Sapele is, by all verifiable historical, customary, and legal indices, an indigenous Okpe town within the Urhobo Nation. The union emphasized that land ownership, traditional authority, and indigenous institutions in Sapele are vested exclusively in the Okpe people, under the supreme authority of the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom.

While acknowledging Sapele’s long-standing cosmopolitan character and its history of accommodating other ethnic nationalities, including Itsekiri, Ijaw, and Isoko, the UPU stressed that hospitality, long residence, or commercial activity does not translate into indigeneity or confer traditional sovereignty.

The statement further clarified that under Okpe native law and custom, the office of Okpako-Amua is a strictly regulated, lineage-based institution reserved exclusively for the eldest living male indigene of a community. The position, it noted, is singular, non-elective, non-appointive, and completely inaccessible to non-indigenes or settler populations.

“The Okpe tradition does not recognise multiple Okpako-Amua in one community, nor does it permit the installation of settlers or non-indigenes into such an office,” the UPU declared, adding that any attempt to create parallel or renamed traditional authorities is alien to Okpe history and void ab initio.

The UPU also dismissed the title “Olare-Aja” as unknown to Okpe tradition, stating that it has no historical, cultural, or customary foundation in Sapele and has never been recognised or sanctioned by the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom or any competent Okpe authority.

Warning against the dangers of parallel traditional structures, the union noted that such actions have historically led to communal конфликт, breakdown of law and order, and long-term ethnic distrust. It therefore maintained that no parallel traditional authority can exist in Okpe territory and that any such structure is customarily invalid, legally non-existent, and administratively unenforceable.

Expressing concern over the political, social, and security implications of the alleged installation, the UPU described the secretive manner of the action as a calculated provocation capable of undermining peace in Sapele and destabilising inter-ethnic relations in Delta State.

The union particularly cautioned against attempts to drag the Delta State Government, under the leadership of Governor Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, into an avoidable traditional controversy, either by portraying the governor as acting against his Okpe constituents or by framing the issue as ethnic bias. The UPU reaffirmed its confidence in the governor’s commitment to justice, equity, and peaceful coexistence.

In the interest of peace and constitutional order, the UPU called on the Delta State Government, the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, the Nigeria Police Force, and the Department of State Services (DSS) to urgently investigate the matter, nullify any outcome arising from the alleged installation, prevent further unlawful traditional assertions, and hold those involved accountable.

Reiterating the Urhobo Nation’s commitment to peaceful coexistence, the UPU stressed that harmony cannot be built on historical falsehood, cultural erasure, or unlawful encroachment on indigenous authority.

“Sapele is indigenous Okpe land within the Urhobo Nation. No settler group has the authority to install an Olare-Aja, Okpako-Amua, or any traditional authority in Okpe territory. Any such installation is null, void, and of no legal or customary effect,” the statement concluded.

The UPU urged all residents of Sapele to remain calm and law-abiding while lawful and institutional measures are pursued to protect indigenous dignity, heritage, and traditional authority.