The claimants to the Oje of Ora Stool and the custodians of Sabongidda (Evbiobe) Ora Community have called on the Edo State Government to immediately arrest and prosecute Chief Jeffery Eromose Okanigbuan for continuing to parade himself as the oje of Ora despite the express directive of the state government instructing him to stop doing so.
This call has become necessary to avert another crises in the community because of the illegal activities of chief Jeffrey Okanigbuan who has unremittingly and provocatively been carrying on as if the government no longer exist.
The sabongidda (Evbiobe) Ora community made the call in the wake of persistent violations of the government restraining order by Chief Jeffrey Okanigbuan, coupled with the subsisting suit on who is actual and real Oje of Ora before the court. Infact, to show the disdain Chief Jeffrey Okanigbuan accords the government restraining order he described the letter signed by the State Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs as a jankara purchased letter in one of his social media response to the said letter
In a press statement made available to Trojan.com.ng correspondent in Benin City, the Secretary-General of Sabongidda (Evbiobe) Ora Community, James Alufohai, said Chief Okanigbuan’s persistent violations of government restraining order is capable of destabilising the peace of the Evbiobe Community.
“It is time for the Edo State Government to order the immediate arrest and prosecution of the interloper who has been parading himself as Oje of Ora and His Royal Highness (HRH) against the norms in a matter before the courts where the Government itself wrote a letter to Chief Okanigbuan via the office of the Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs dated 19th October, 2021.
“How can Chief Okanigbuan be referring to himself as the Oje of Ora and His Royal Highness (HRH) such as he did in a new year message and in a rejoinder to Prof Julius Ihonvbere’s media aide, Mr. Joshua Araoya, in a statement where he said: “It has come to the attention of HRH. Jeffrey Eromose Okanigbuan, Oraikpen 11, The Oje of Ora that a delegation sent by the Oje-in-Council on a commiseration visit to Prof Julius Ihonvbere, member representing Owan Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives over the demise of his mother” when the Edo State Government had strictly warned him him earlier against such self designation as the Oje of Ora.
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Mr. Alufohai further assured Ora people that the State Government under the digital governorship of Mr. Godwin Obaseki will address the illegality in record time because Chief Jeff Okanigbuan whom Chief Prof Joshua Aisiku made a chief, defeated in the Oje of Ora selection polls with 89 votes as against 35 votes for Chief Jeffrey Okanigbuan cannot claim to have been selected as a consensus candidate by just 20 unrepresentative persons after failing the selection process by 147 persons representing all strata of chiefs, elders, quarters and age grades in the Sabongidda (Evbiobe) Ora community. He is definitely operating in illegalities.
“Professor Emeritus Oje Aisiku is the Government appointed and gazetted Oje of Ora”, the statement reads.
