By Akpos Oghentega
In the unfolding leadership crisis in Sapele-Okpe Community, one figure has again emerged as a decisive and influential voice for the Urhobo Nation — Senator Ede Dafinone, who represents Delta Central Senatorial District. Many observers say his quiet but firm intervention played a pivotal role in the decision by His Royal Majesty, Major General Felix Mujakperuo (Rtd), Orhue I, the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom, to suspend the Community Chairman’s controversial amendments of the community’s constitution and equally halt indefinitely his attempt to create a fifth quarter in the Sapele Okpe Community in Sapele Local Government Area of Delta State.
For many observers within the Urhobo Nation, the unfolding events revealed once again the quiet but firm influence of the Delta Central senator. Known by many as a “gentle giant,” Dafinone combines humility and civility with a reputation for firmness when issues affecting Urhobo heritage and collective interests arise. In the present political dispensation, he is increasingly viewed as one of the few voices willing to speak clearly and act decisively whenever the rights and identity of the Urhobo people appear threatened.
At the heart of the controversy lies the long-running dispute between the okpe settlers within the Sapele Okpe Community and the Sapele-Okpe community particularly concerning the ownership of the Forest Reserve in the Sapele Community. The matter has passed through the High Court of Nigeria and the Court of Appeal of Nigeria, where the Sapele-Okpe community has secured favourable judgments. The case is currently pending before the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
However, concerns began to grow when reports emerged that attempts were being made to withdraw the case. That effort was said to have met resistance from Senator Dafinone and other concerned stakeholders who insisted that the community must protect its legal position. When the withdrawal failed, another controversial move allegedly surfaced; this time, the proposed creation of a fifth quarter in the Sapele-Okpe community. Critics warned that such a step could effectively transfer a share in the ownership and control of the forest reserve to the Okpe settlers, potentially undermining the collective rights of the community to the disputed land. The Okpe Settlers have already sold off large tracts of land from within the forest reserve despite losing the case at both the High Court and the appeal court that determined that the Sapele Okpe Community are the valid owner of the forest reserve.
As tensions mounted, Senator Dafinone reportedly began wide consultations with elders, youth leaders, and stakeholders across the community. During these engagements, attention increasingly turned to the actions of the Sapele-Okpe Community Executive Committee led by Chief Onoriode Temiagin. The chairman was accused by some of having been compromised, and as such, he can no longer protect the interests of Sapele-Okpe Community. Some stakeholders expressed concern that decisions taken by the executive could inadvertently weaken the community’s legal position in various ongoing land disputes.
In an effort to restore transparency and allow open deliberation, a general meeting of the Sapele-Okpe community was scheduled for March 1, 2026. But minutes before the meeting was to begin, the community chairman reportedly announced its indefinite cancellation. By that time, however, many leaders, youth representatives, and members of the executive had already gathered at Okpe Hall in Sapele.
At that gathering, Senator Dafinone addressed the members of community who were present, carefully explaining the implications of the constitutional amendment and the proposed creation of the fifth quarter. His intervention reportedly helped many participants understand the possible consequences of the move. The discussions that followed led stakeholders present at the meeting to pass a vote of no confidence in the Temiagin-led executive.
The development triggered strong reactions among youths of the community, who felt that the interests of the Sapele-Okpe Community were being compromised. Yet amid the rising tension, Dafinone urged restraint and adherence to due process. He cautioned that “you cannot shave a man’s head in his absence,” stressing that the chairman should be allowed to respond before any final decisions were taken. He therefore called for a broader stakeholders’ meeting involving representatives from the four traditional quarters of the community.
As tensions mounted and youth protests intensified, the Orodje of Okpe intervened as a father figure to calm the situation. Acting in his wisdom, the monarch suspended the amended constitution indefinitely and halted the attempt to create the fifth quarter, a move widely seen as restoring calm to the community.
Many observers believe the monarch’s decision followed a fuller understanding of the situation after earlier reports may not have captured the entire picture. His intervention, described by several stakeholders as a conciliatory “soft landing,” helped prevent deeper divisions within the community.
Within the community, many stakeholders believe Senator Dafinone’s intervention was instrumental in drawing attention to the deeper implications of the constitutional changes and in mobilising stakeholders to defend what they view as the collective heritage of the Sapele-Okpe people.
This is not the first time the senator has spoken firmly on issues affecting Urhobo identity and territorial integrity. In previous disputes involving neighbouring communities, the attack on UPU House and Urhobo in Warri, as well as controversies surrounding historical claims to Sapele land, he published historical clarifications and made public interventions aimed at defending Urhobo narratives and interests.
For many within the Urhobo nation, Dafinone’s growing role echoes the legacy of past Urhobo patriots such as Chief Mukoro Mowoe, Chief T.E.A. Salubi, and Chief Benjamin Okumagba, who stood firmly in defence of the people’s heritage and political identity.
History will ultimately judge the significance of these events. But to many observers, the Sapele-Okpe Community episode has once again highlighted Senator Ede Dafinone as a calm yet resolute voice, one increasingly seen as a guardian of Urhobo interests in today’s political landscape.
– Oghenetega writes from Ughelli.
