Kingdom

The Ughelli Kingdom

Ughelli is one of the 24 Urhobo kingdoms. Its ruler, the Ovie of Ughelli, lives in the palace at Otovwodo, and by Ughelli tradition the kingdom was founded by Ughene, the second son of Oghwoghwa, a prince from Benin.

Last checked 10 September 2026 · 2 sources

Ema dancers in white performing in Ughelli

Photo: Ighophua / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. All photo credits

What we know so far

Ughelli's early history comes from oral tradition, and neighbouring kingdoms tell their own versions. The kingdom's best known festival is Iyeri, held every September, with ancestral rites, the Ema royal dance and a boat regatta.

Like most Urhobo kingdoms, Ughelli's early history comes from oral tradition. Where accounts differ, we say so.

We're still researching this story

We only publish history we've checked properly, so this page is short for now. Know this history well? Tell us what we should include, and where we can check it.

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