The Flying Antelopes announced the winners on X, with Oputa taking 627 fan votes and Chimaobi’s goal winning 96.7 per cent of the vote.
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Super Eagles defender Oputa Chibueze has been named Enugu Rangers Player of the Month for September, while teammate Igwillo Chimaobi won the club’s Goal of the Month award. As reported by FootballInNigeria.com.ng, the Flying Antelopes announced both winners on their official X account.
Oputa took the Player of the Month crown with 627 votes, according to the club. Rangers praised his consistency, work rate and class in the red and white shirt.
Chimaobi’s goal won in a landslide, with 96.7 per cent of the votes. Rangers congratulated him with a short message telling him to take a bow.
A Rising Right Back
Oputa plays at right back and joined Rangers from Solution FC in July 2025. He earned his first Super Eagles call up in May 2026, around the time Rangers sealed the NPFL title.
He missed the title clinching 2-1 win over Ikorodu City because he was already with the national team in London. A fan-voted award now is a fitting reward for his work.
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What The Awards Say About Rangers
Rangers are chasing a successful title defence after winning a record equalling ninth NPFL crown last season. They finished on 68 points, one ahead of Rivers United.
The start to 2026/27 has been mixed. Rangers won three and drew one of their first four league games, before Ikorodu City beat them 2-0 in Lagos on September 27.
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Next For The Flying Antelopes
Rangers face Bendel Insurance on October 18 in Matchday 9, with kick off listed for 16:00. They will want to turn the praise into points.
The voting says something about what supporters value. They rewarded steady consistency in Oputa and a moment of brilliance in Chimaobi’s goal.
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For Oputa and Chimaobi, the awards are a welcome boost. For Rangers, the next job is making sure good individual form shows up in the table.
📌 Did You Know?
- Oputa was born on October 17, 2005, so he turns 21 the day before Rangers face Bendel Insurance.
- He had made 29 league appearances for Rangers without a goal by late May 2026, according to his profile.
- His first Super Eagles call-up was for the Unity Cup in London, where Nigeria played Zimbabwe in the semi final.
- Rangers captain Chidiebere Nwobodo scored both goals in the 2-1 win over Ikorodu City that sealed the title on the final day.
- Fidelis Ilechukwu is the coach who led Rangers to the 2025/26 title.
- Ikorodu City’s 2-0 win over Rangers in September was their first ever NPFL victory against the Enugu club.
