Okparuku-In-Council Says Olorogun Bennis E Agbonifo Is Authentic President-General Of Orogun Clan

By Daniel Dafe

The Okparuku-in-Council has said that the certificate issued to Olorogun (Dr.) Bennis Agbonifo as President-General of Orogun Kingdom on 10 July 2025, emanated from due government administrative processes of dispute resolution, saying that it is an official act of government that cannot be set aside by mere personal claims, however weighty they may appear.

This was contained in a statement on Tuesday signed by Chief Benson Ibeh, Secretary General, Okparuku-in-Council of Orogun Kingdom.

This follows an online publication making the rounds, signed by HRM Joseph Emoghene Okorocha, Osuokpa I, where the Okpara-Uku of Orogun rejected and discredited the certificate duly issued by the Ministry of Women Affairs recognizing Agbonifo as PG.

On the alleged zoning arrangement, Chief Ibeh, said that “the so-called Orogun Kingdom Gazette of 2020, often cited, has no force of law binding on the Government of Delta State,” adding: “While communities may adopt internal understandings, such informal arrangements cannot override the democratic rights of the people to freely choose their leaders through transparent and peaceful resolution processes.”

The statement continued: “On the alleged “Consecration” of Chief (Barr.) E.T. Opone – Leadership of a community development union or kingdom-wide association is not a traditional stool subject to consecration. It is a representative office that must derive legitimacy from the broad participation of the people and recognition by the government. The purported consecration of Chief Opone in September 2024 was unilateral, exclusionary, and without the consent of the government.

“The Issue of Subclans – The argument that the Ogwa Subclan “cannot immediately succeed itself” is divisive and misleading because Dr. Bennis Agbonifo hails maternally from the Imodje sub clan, her grand parents tombs are visible for all to see.  Which gives her exclusive right to contest any position zoned to Imodje according to our tradition and custom.

“Mandate of Olorogun (Dr.) Bennis Agbonifo – The recognition of Olorogun (Dr.) Bennis Agbonifo was not arbitrary. She emerged following due consultations, overwhelming community support, and her proven track records of service and her great skill in conflicts resolution which she has displayed countless times in settling the crisis that would have tore the Kingdom apart and which the Government  duly acknowledged before issuance of the certificate.”

Thus, the Okparuku-in-Council respectfully urged the general public to “disregard the protest letter as baseless and self-serving,” adding: “Our Okparuku is very old, and some persons closest to him are using his name to create unnecessary trouble in the Kingdom.”

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Furthermore, he cautioned against attempts to destabilize Orogun Kingdom through divisive claims and selective interpretations of custom that are likely to cause chaos and crisis.

“Orogun people desire peace and progress. The Okparuku-in-Council recognition of Olorogun (Dr.) Bennis Agbonifo as President-General represents a forward-looking decision rooted in inclusivity, intellectual sound mind, gender equity, and the will of the people,” the statement concluded.