By Foster Akpore, Otorho-Orogun
The President-General of the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU), Chief (Barr.) Ese Gam, on Saturday, November 8, continued his wide-ranging consultations with traditional rulers across Urhoboland as part of his campaign for re-election ahead of the UPU’s national election scheduled for December 5.
Chief Gam’s visit to the Okpara-Uku of Orogun Kingdom, His Royal Majesty Joseph Okorocha Emoghene, Osuokpa I, was both political and deeply personal, marking a symbolic homecoming as he traced his ancestral roots to Orogun and, by extension, to the Oghwoghwa region. Speaking before the Okpara-Uku and his council, the UPU leader reaffirmed Orogun’s integral place within Urhobo history and culture while addressing recent controversies surrounding claims to the Orogun throne.
The UPU President-General dismissed what he described as “false and wasteful enterprises” by individuals parading themselves as ‘Ovie of Orogun Kingdom’. “Before anyone can become Ovie of Orogun kingdom, the UPU must have a hand in it and must support it. When you talk about Orogun, it is the Okpara-Uku who is the king of Orogun Kingdom. That is not guesswork—it is the truth,” he declared.
Chief Gam also challenged those he described as “self-styled Ejenekpo” or “Facebook monarchs,” emphasising that the UPU, as the cultural umbrella of all Urhobo people, does not recognise parallel leadership structures in Orogun. “When we were coming here, we knew we would call the President-General of Orogun kingdom, not the self-styled ‘Ejenekpo’. Chief (Barr.) E.T. Opone is the President-General of Orogun Kingdom—that is why we called him,” he said.
Tracing his family roots to Emonu through his grandfather’s mother, who was from a quarter called Itodo—once known for its abundance of coconuts—Chief Gam recalled his early teaching years in the area and described his return to Orogun as “coming home.” “When people say Oghwoghwa, I tell them that I, who hail from Emonu, am also a son of Oghwoghwa. That is why, coming here, I feel very much at home,” he noted.
Chief Gam used the occasion to highlight his administration’s achievements, including the review of the UPU Constitution to recognise all twenty-four Urhobo kingdoms and formally incorporate the forum of kings into the union’s structure. He also spoke about the UPU’s interventions in crises such as the Okuama incident and the legal steps taken to defend Urhobo interests.
On the ongoing efforts to renovate the Urhobo House, the UPU President-General disclosed that a committee has been set up under the leadership of Chief Isaacs Itebu, with Dr. Ebenezer Okorodudu and Dame Mrs. Roseline Amioko leading the local and diaspora teams respectively. “UPU is not a business organisation; it belongs to all Urhobo people. Those who make the loudest noise have not contributed even fifty kobo to the cause,” he said.
The UPU delegation included Elder Chief Abel Opuidi (2nd Deputy President-General), Barr. David A. Esiekpe (National Secretary), Chief (Barr.) Emma Omovie (National Legal Adviser), Chief Onome Okumagba (Secretary, Ewheya), and Dr. Taiga.
Receiving the delegation on behalf of His Royal Majesty, the visibly impressed Omo Okpara-Uku of Orogun Kingdom, Chief Dominic Emoghene, praised Chief Ese Gam for his exemplary leadership and service to the Urhobo nation. “I have been hearing much about you for some time now, and also from my President General, Chief (Barr) E.T. Opone, about the good work you are doing in Urhobo. May God help you to do even more. May God help you as you go for a second tenure, and may everything turn out well by His grace,” he said.
Those who joined in receiving Chief Gam and his team at the Orogun palace included Chief (Barr.) E.T. Opone, President-General of Orogun Kingdom; Chief Felix Edevbie; Chief Cecilia Kaine; Chief Barrack Ozor; Mr. Boardman Ogbajini; Mr. Romeo Hitler; Mr. Henry Wanogho and other prominent sons and daughters of the kingdom.
Chief Emoghene further assured the visiting delegation that the Okpara-Uku and his cabinet hold Chief Gam in high regard and will continue to pray for his success.
The visit to Orogun forms part of Chief Ese Gam’s ongoing consultation tour across Urhobo kingdoms as he seeks a second term as President-General of the Urhobo Progress Union—a campaign built on unity, inclusion, and the reaffirmation of traditional authority within Urhoboland.