I Remain Chairman Of Sapele-Okpe Community – Egbejule

Sapele—Embattle Chairman of Sapele Okpe
Community, Mr Michael Egbejule, has said that
until the court decides otherwise, he remains the
legitimate chairman of Sapele-Okpe Community,
Sapele Local Government Area, Delta State and
not Mr. Moses Ogodo nor Chief Americana Ayomanor, who are currently laying claim to the
position. He spoke against the backdrop of a media report
credited to Chief Ede Dafinone, an indigene of the
area and former Delta Central senatorial candidate
of the Democratic Peoples Party, DPP, who had
said that “Peace has returned at last to Sapele-
Okpe Community, Sapele council, after the leadership squabble that rocked the community
for several years.” Egbejule said: “The leadership crisis in the
community has not been resolved by anybody
and we pray that it should not further
degenerate,” warning his opponents to be wary of
their comments. Also, spokesman of Sapele-Okpe Community, Dr.
Vincent Ekariko, has said, “The report is a blatant
lie. It is only a figment of the imagination of the
people who feel that they own Sapele. The truth is
that Egbejule is the authentic Sapele-Okpe
Community chairman. When the powers that be illegally and forcefully removed him in 2011 and
put Moses Ogodo in his stead, he and his
executive, including myself went to court and the
matter is still pending and unresolved before a
Delta State High Court sitting in Sapele in suit
number S/90/2011, before Justice G. E. Gbemre, who subsequently restrained the Sapele-Okpe
Land Trust Committee from conducting any
election until the matter is resolved. “That injunction has not been vacated. His
lordship is now sitting at the state High Court in
Effurun. The matter is now before Justice Arthur
Omamogho. I have been cross examined twice
and the court has not even finished with me yet. “There is no end to the leadership crisis yet. We
pray that it does not split Sapele-Okpe community.
No one is bigger than the community. It is the
community that puts people in position of
authority and not the other way round.