Enyimba assistant coach Kelvin Okechukwu Ejeh resigned on Saturday, citing irreconcilable differences with technical adviser Emmanuel Deutsch Gustavo, less than 24 hours before the nine-time NPFL champions host Plateau United in Aba on Matchday 7.
Ejeh said the working relationship had broken down because he was not given a chance to respond to claims made about him. “When your boss begins to listen to gossip without recourse to hearing from you, then it becomes clear that trust is gone and the working relationship has been severed,” he said. Enyimba had not issued a statement on his departure as of Saturday night.
NPFL · Matchday 7
Enyimba Stadium, Aba · Sunday 4 October 2026, 4:00pm
A long Abia career behind Ejeh’s Enyimba exit
Ejeh arrived at Enyimba during the 2025/26 season after a 12-year spell as head coach of Abia Comets, which made him one of the more experienced local coaches on the People’s Elephant’s bench. He described his time at the club warmly despite the manner of his exit, saying “Enyimba is a club after my heart” and thanking the supporters and club leadership for the way they received him.
His resignation means Deutsch goes into Sunday’s game a member of staff short, with the club yet to say who will take on Ejeh’s duties. It also comes at a delicate point in the season, with Enyimba trying to build on their first league win of the campaign.
Enyimba’s fragile recovery faces a Plateau United test
Enyimba went into midweek without a win before beating Shooting Stars 4-2 in a rescheduled Matchday 2 game on Wednesday, a result that lifted them off the bottom of the table. They have four points from six matches, with one win, one draw and four defeats.
Plateau United arrive in Aba as one of the early pacesetters, on 11 points from six games after a 2-0 win over Inter Lagos last time out. A home win on Sunday would give Enyimba back-to-back league victories for the first time this season, while another defeat would leave them deep in the bottom half. The full weekend schedule is in our NPFL Matchday 7 preview, with all ten fixtures also listed on the official NPFL fixtures page.
What Ejeh’s departure means for the Enyimba bench
Ejeh’s comments point to a breakdown of trust inside the technical crew rather than a disagreement over results, and that’s the part Enyimba’s management will want to settle quickly. The club’s response, and whether they appoint a replacement assistant or reorganise the existing staff, will be worth watching after Sunday’s game. A run of results against Plateau and beyond will decide how much pressure follows Deutsch through the rest of October.
