EXPOSING THE DOUBLE STANDARDS: THE CONTRADICTIONS OF THE DISSIDENT FACTION IN OKERE COMMUNITY

Okere Community, located in Warri, Delta State, stands as the oldest and largest Itsekiri settlement in the Warri Metropolis, with a proud heritage tracing back to its founding in 1497 by Ekpenede, a Benin war general. Over centuries, this community has been guided by a revered traditional system of gerontocratic governance, administered by the Ogieboro-in-Council, a council of elders representing all five founding quarters of the community.

At the heart of Okere’s strength is its commitment to tradition, unity, and structured leadership. However, for the past three years, these values have come under severe attack by a faction of self-interested dissidents, determined to dismantle the very fabric of the community’s leadership structure.

A Timeline of Betrayal and Disrespect
1. Disruption of Youth Elections (2023 – Present): These elements first demonstrated their intentions by obstructing the peaceful conduct of community youth elections, disrespecting due process and ignoring interventions from the Elders Council, Warri South Local Government, and the Nigeria Police.

2. Assault on the Olu of Warri (March 2, 2024): During a royal visit (Ugwa Olu) by His Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III CFR, these same actors not only denied the Olu access to the town hall but threw stones at the revered monarch and his entourage, a treasonous act currently under prosecution for attempted murder.

3. Hijack of the 2025 Awankere Festival: In yet another display of rebellion, this group went ahead to organize unauthorized pre- festival ceremonies for the 528thAwankere (Okiroro) Fertility Festival, using persons previously suspended by the Elders Council.

Despite repeated interventions, including over ten appearances before the Delta State Commissioner of Police, the dissidents remain obstinate and continue to publicly defy the Ogieboro and his Council of Elders.

The Lagos Encounter: When Truth Was Tested

In what many believed was a moment of possible reconciliation, a meeting was convened in Surulere, Lagos State, at the private residence of Chief (Dr.) Rita Lori- Ogbebor, a respected national figure and illustrious daughter of Okere Community. Present at this critical gathering were the Ogieboro of Okere, Chief Rita Lori-Ogbebor, Chief Temisan Grant, and Chief Kofi Kartey, all gathered in hope, having been informed by the Chief Priest that the dissident group was finally ready to seek peace and forgiveness.

These revered elders waited patiently for nearly three hours, a testament to their enduring faith in dialogue and restoration.
When the dissidents finally arrived, what followed shocked even the most patient among the elders. Instead of demonstrating remorse or humility, the group became unruly and verbally aggressive. They insulted the elders, refused to state why they came, and stormed out of the venue in defiance, leaving only one person behind, who, sadly, has since returned to the same destructive path.

Many within the community later remarked that this gathering was nothing more than a staged performance. A script, crafted to deceive the public into thinking reconciliation was on the horizon, when in truth, there was never any intention to submit to the Ogieboro-in-Council or respect ancestral authority.
Till this moment, no apology has been offered, no gesture of peace made. On the contrary, some have boldly and ignorantly claimed that Ogieboro owes them an apology. Others have gone so far as to claim they have their own Elders Council, a direct and dangerous affront to the time-honoured institution that has guided Okere for over five centuries.

What these individuals fail to understand is that their actions have spiritual implications. By rising in rebellion against the sacred traditional authority, they have invited ancestral disapproval. Whether knowingly or ignorantly, they have laid curses upon their own bloodlines. The consequences may not end with them, generations yet unborn may reap the bitter harvest of this rebellion.

“Oh, if only they knew the spiritual weight of defying their fathers.”
Their names will go down in the digital archives of this era. The internet, with its permanent memory, will preserve the story of how a few chose ego over heritage, and in doing so, brought disgrace upon the name of their ancestors.

The Height of Hypocrisy: Using the Ogieboro’s Image
In a most glaring contradiction, these same dissidents have flooded the community with banners displaying the image of the Ogieboro, strategically placed around Okere Market Square and key community routes during their illegally coordinated Awankere activities.

This act raises a simple but profound question:
How can you publicly reject a man’s authority, yet use his image to promote your event?
This is not loyalty. It is manipulation, deception, and political opportunism disguised as community celebration.
By using the image of Chief E. F. Esisi, the Ogieboro of Okere Community, they seek to:

• Legitimize their unlawful activities under the false cloak of tradition.
• Mislead innocent members of the public into believing they act with approval.
• Shield themselves from the moral backlash of rebellion by pretending to honour the very institution they disobey.

Pretending Loyalty While Plotting Disunity

These dissidents want to wear the garment of loyalty while walking the path of division. But the people are not blind. The elders are not deceived. The community is fully aware of the double game being played.
• You cannot reject the Council’s decisions and still claim to be loyal to its head.
• You cannot appoint your own unrecognized ceremonial leaders and still claim to respect the ancestral order.
• You cannot stoke confusion in the name of culture and expect blessings from our ancestors.

A Call for Truth and Accountability

It is time to call things by their rightful name. The people of Okere Community must reject every false loyalty, every counterfeit cultural representation, and every banner of manipulation disguised as unity.
To our youths, elders, and heads of families:
• Let us not be swayed by optics and pageantry.
• Let us uphold substance over slogans.
• Let us align not with the crowd, but with the truth.

Final Word

The Ogieboro-in-Council remains the only recognized traditional authority in Okere Community. Loyalty to this institution is not optional, it is the lifeblood of our identity, the foundation of our peace, and the hope of our posterity.
Let us choose legacy over lawlessness, and principle over pretense. Okere is one. Its leadership must remain one.
Any group that pretends otherwise while using the symbols of unity they refuse to honour must be called what they are: hypocrites, not patriots.

Yours in truth and unity,
Concerned Elites of Okere (CEO). July 1, 2025.