Osawota: Contender Or Pretender To Orogun Kingship Throne?

…CONTINUE FROM YESTERDAY

As the Orogun community continues to heal from this morbid arrogance and unwarranted crisis, transparency and accountability must narrow pursuits. The people deserve leaders who not only speak truth but also act in alignment with the values they claim to uphold.

So far, Chief E.T. Opone, President General of Orogun Kingdom has issued a formal statement denouncing the act and citing the court’s ruling. He emphasized that Osawota’s declaration was illegal and destabilizing.

Igbuku Community Leaders—including Augustine Onojedo, Chief Hon. Chucks Erhire, Anthony Adjekughene, and Elder Police Ogwara—signed a press release condemning the move as “unlawful and provocative.” They accused Osawota of attempting to impose himself as king without community consent.

While some speculates that Osawota is hiding in Benin City allegedly under the protection of the Bini Monarch, others say official crowning as shown in the viedo as the Ovie (traditional ruler) of Orogun Kingdom subsists, and that he is resident in Warri.

In one of his propaganda stunts, Osawota explained that his Ovie Title is not in conflict with the Opkara-Uku Title further noting that they complement one another. Those versed in traditional matters say his expostulation is lacking in logic since both titles expresses, represents and emphasize one and same thing —the ‘kingship’.

Traditionally and historically, the Okpara-Uku which is one and same thing with being the Ovie, is not subject to electoral rigours safe a distinct democratic process limited to the selection of the Most Senior Person within the kingdom.

Believed to have been secretly crowned Ovie of Orogun Kingdom on October 7, 2025 with the title of ‘Adaka I’, Osawota in his controversial inaugural speech, attributed his emergence to divine providence and expressed gratitude “to the people of Orogun for their support.”

As the fallout from Osawota’s self-proclamation continues to reverberate, legal experts anticipate further litigation, while historians and community leaders have called for government decisive intervention to preserve the sanctity of Orogun’s traditional institutions.

The incident has also sparked broader conversations about the influence of wealth and political power in traditional leadership disputes.