Delta CDHR Chairman Derrick Agberen Fires Back at Rival Faction, Dismisses 'Impersonation' Allegations

By Ezekiel Kagbala

The leadership crisis rocking the Delta State chapter of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) escalated on Monday as the newly elected Chairman, Derrick Oritsematosan Agberen, launched a blistering rebuttal to allegations of impersonation, accusing a rival faction of orchestrating what he described as a deliberate campaign of misinformation aimed at undermining the organization's constitutionally recognized leadership.

Agberen's response followed a public statement reportedly issued by Edoso Samuel and Evans Orusi, in which they allegedly called on security agencies to arrest him and members of his newly inaugurated executive over the outcome of the recent CDHR Delta State election.

In a strongly worded statement jointly signed by Agberen and the State Secretary, Chika Maduh, the Delta CDHR leadership dismissed the allegations as "false, misleading and without constitutional foundation," insisting that the calls for their arrest were an attempt to intimidate a legitimately elected executive.

The statement alleged that Samuel and Orusi are members of a faction loyal to Kehinde Prince Taiga, whom the Agberen-led executive says was suspended and later expelled from CDHR in 2021 in accordance with the organization's constitution before subsequently operating a parallel structure. FocalPoint Reports has not independently verified these internal organizational claims.

According to the statement, the authentic CDHR has, since 2021, operated under successive nationally recognized presidents, including Osagie Obayuwana, Debo Adeniran, and the incumbent National President, **Folarin A. Olayinka>, with the organization's National Secretariat situated in Ikeja, Lagos.

Agberen maintained that his emergence as Delta State Chairman followed a constitutionally recognized electoral process conducted under the authority of the national leadership, insisting that his executive remains the legitimate leadership of the CDHR in Delta State.

The statement further accused the rival faction of attempting to secure public legitimacy through media campaigns and petitions to security agencies rather than pursuing available constitutional and legal channels.

"If anyone has genuine evidence of wrongdoing, the proper forum is the CDHR National Secretariat or a competent court of law—not trial by media," the statement declared.

Agberen also issued a stern warning against what he described as persistent attempts to mislead the public, cautioning that repeated publication of disputed claims could damage the reputation of the organization and create unnecessary confusion among members and stakeholders.

He urged media organizations to exercise greater diligence in verifying claims surrounding the CDHR leadership dispute and to clearly distinguish between allegations made by competing factions and positions officially recognized by the organization's national leadership.

Reaffirming his administration's agenda, Agberen said the new executive would not be distracted by internal controversies but would remain focused on restoring unity within the organization and advancing the core objectives of CDHR, including the defence of human rights, the fight against corruption, police brutality, unlawful detention, abuse of power and poor governance.

"The mandate given to this executive is to strengthen—not divide—the CDHR. We remain committed to constitutional democracy, the rule of law and the protection of the rights of all citizens. Those with grievances should seek constitutional remedies instead of attempting to criminalize legitimate leadership through media campaigns," the statement added.

As of the time of filing this report, there was no indication that security agencies had acted on the calls reportedly made by the rival faction, while the allegations and counter-allegations exchanged by the opposing groups remain unresolved.