… Again, Ani’s Faction Heads to Court, ECA Insists Itam Not Munene
By Magnus Effiong
This is certainly not the best of times for the traditional institution particularly in the southern senatorial district of Cross River as tension builds up over successions tussles in Efut kingdom and Henshaw Town community, even as the 15 years old crisis for the seat of the Obong of Calabar has refused to go away completely.
Besides, the reported face-off between the State Council of Chiefs and the Special Adviser to Governor Bassey Otu on Chieftaincy Affairs is also generating heat across the socio-political divides of the State.
Henshaw Town
The intense power-play in Henshaw Town (Nsidung) has made reconciliation of various stakeholders elusive for the past few years with plethora of court cases driving the once peaceful community into more crisis.
Investigation revealed that Henshaw Town community has matters in court in Suit Nos: HC/186/2019; HC/60/2022; MC/64C/2022; CA/C/247/2020; MC/111C/2023; FHC/CA/FHR/55/2023; FHC/CA/FHR/56/2023 amongst others.
Suit No HC/MSC/45/2024 contains the matter against Etubom Efio-Ita, Victor Inyang Effiom, Effanga Okon, Andem Abasi-Ekeng (Defendants) versus The Commissioner of Police Cross River State, while the nominal complainants in the case include HH Engr Ededem Richard Henshaw who is also the Village Head of Esiere Ebom Ewa Ekeng village as well as HH Efanga Nsa Henshaw.
Our reporters observed that this intractable disagreement resulted in the locking up of the gigantic edifice housing the Henshaw Town Traditional Rulers Council and the imprisonment of the 80 years old Etubom Efio-Ita Efiom, the Traditional Head of the Efiom Ewa Nsa Royal family.
Etubom Efio-Ita was sentenced to three years imprisonment with others mentioned above over what a source said was ‘land-related tussle’, a situation described by multiple sources of Efik extraction as a ‘sacrilege.’
Disapproving Etubom Efio-Ita’s detention in Afokang prisons, women, under the umbrella of Mbono Iban Nsidung, protested and appealed for his immediate release.
The protesting women, who stormed the Palace of the Obong of Calabar over the matter, carried placards with inscriptions such as “Release Obong Obio Nsidung, Others,” “Let Peace Reign in Nsidung,” “Women of Nsidung Need Our Obong Obio Back,” amongst others.
Leader of the group, Obonganwan Nsidung, Barbara Etim James, who addressed Journalists, said the protesters were adorning black attire, a symbol of mourning “because evil has taken over our land and the people can no longer sleep with their two eyes closed.
“The incarcerated man is the Etubom or Traditional Head of the Efiom Ewa Nsa Royal family in Henshaw Town/Nsidung. He is an eminent traditional leader in our community. We are talking about elderly, peaceful, frail man who should not be subjected to such torture.
“It is such a man that is now being incarcerated over land. The incarceration of Etubom Efio-Ita is an abomination and we pray nothing evil should befall him in that dungeon. If a man of such calibre could be treated with such level of disdain, ordinary Nsidung residents are afraid of their lives. We are crying out for the intervention of the Palace.”
A mild drama however played out when some of the protesting women openly betrayed emotion uncontrollably, demanding the release of the jailed Etubom.
Investigations indicated that some prominent persons in the community were already making moves to replace Etubom Efio-Ita, since according them, nature abhors vacuum. But many other leaders and residents have vowed to resist such with every pinch of their blood. As at the time of this report, threats and counter threats were swirling in the community like a whirlwind.
Special Adviser, Chieftaincy Affairs vrs Council of Chiefs
Findings indicated that the relationship between Otuekong Francis Edet, Special Adviser to the Governor on Chieftaincy Matters and the members of the State Traditional Rulers Council became significantly frosty, penultimate week, when the Royal Fathers forced the SA out of his office.
Our team of roving reporters who visited the premises of the Chieftaincy Affairs observed that the SA’s office has remained locked and keyed. The angry Monarchs were said to have vowed never to have anything to do with Edet. Reason for this decision could not be ascertained as at press time.
All efforts to speak with the Chairman of the Traditional Rulers Council, the Paramount Ruler of Calabar South local government area, Paramount Ruler of Odukpani local government area and the Paramount Ruler of Akamkpa, who were said to be on ground on that day, met a brick wall. Apart from the Royal Fathers’ unwillingness to comment on what transpired, the SA, Frank Edet, also kept sealed lips.
When our reporter, after much effort, finally met the Paramount Ruler of Calabar South, HRM Etubom Nyong Okon, over the matter, he told our reporter: “the best person to talk on what you want to know is our Chairman. He has not given me approval to speak on his behalf. Call him, if he directs you to me, then I will tell you what you want to hear.
“Outside that, let me tell you that the Cross River State Traditional Rulers Council is one. We speak with one voice and we thank God for giving us HRM Etinyin Etim Okon Edet as our Chairman. Some of us do not have the capacity to carry the burden that man is carrying. He spends his hard-earned money to ensure things do not go awry. It is this big heart that has caused all of us to queue behind him as our leader, nothing else.”
However, some workers in the Chieftaincy Affairs Department, who spoke under the condition of anonymity said the Royal Fathers may have moved against the SA over what they considered an act of disrespect.
“From what I saw, three Paramount Rulers were having a meeting, and as the meeting progressed, they sent for the SA, but Mr Frank told the messenger that he was busy trying to deliver on an assignment from the Governor. The messenger left but we do not know how the message was relayed to the Paramount Rulers.
“The next thing was that the Paramount Rulers, who were obviously infuriated with the message they received, together with their entourage and other clan heads who were around, matched to the SA’s office and forced him out,” our source stated.
Another source, who sounded worried over the development added, “The Chairman of the Traditional Rulers Council was having a meeting with some Paramount Rulers from the South. In attendance were the Paramount Ruler of Odukpani, Paramount Ruler of Calabar South and Paramount Ruler of Akamkpa, and some other clan heads. I don’t know what their discussion was.
“After the meeting, they all left the chambers and went to the office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Chieftaincy Affairs. The man was forcefully pushed out of his office. In clear terms, they were like ‘go, we don’t want you here. We cannot work with you.’
We all felt bad about that development and to be candid, we were all disappointed. Proper investigations should be carried out to ascertain the immediate and remote causes of such an action.”
As at press time, the situation had remained unchanged with the SA, who was appointed barely one month ago, still operating outside of his office. The government was yet to say anything over the matter.
Efuts Insist Prof Itam not Munene
Leaders of the Efut nation, under the umbrella of the Efut Combined Assembly (ECA), the apex decision making organ of the Efut people, have insisted they would not recognize Prof Itam Hogan Itam as their Munene.
Recall that the State government had reinstated the Professor few weeks ago with all his rights and privileges as a certified Monarch restored.
The Professor was removed from his position as village head, clan head and Munene of Efuts/Paramount Ruler of the Calabar South by the Ben Ayade-led administration for reasons believed to be political.
But the Efut Combined Assembly said it would be a prejudice to accept the alleged imposition of Prof Itam as the matter was subsisting in the court of law.
In a court document cited by Pillar Today, the applicants (members of ECA) in Suit No HC/102/2020, dated March 18, 2024 filed a Motion on Notice seeking an Order restraining all the parties in the Suit, both applicants and defendants “from doing anything that will prejudice the outcome of the cases involving the Muneneship of Efut.”
The Motion also sought “An order staying every action which may have been taken by any of the parties in the course of the proceedings pending the hearing and determination of the matter.”
In an interview, a member of the ECA, who preferred not be named said “We are not zombies but a people with laws. Imposing someone who was never capped on Efut people as Munene is not acceptable. It is not done anywhere. If this anomaly is swept under the carpet, it would haunt generations unborn.
“It is good to do the right things now to avoid regret tomorrow. We stand on what we said earlier, let the courts give judgement on this matter and we will be satisfied.”
Fresh Court Case Hits Obongship Stool
Just as in the Efuts’ succession matter, Cross Riverians had thought that with the intervention of the Governor on the 15 years succession crisis to the stool of the Obong of Calabar, a final nail would have been driven into the matter but the reverse is case.
Recall that the Governor had last year recognized His Eminence Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi-Otu V as the Obong of Calabar. This was after the Monarch re-emerged as such for the third consecutive times.
A 7-man independent Truth and Reconciliation Committee thereafter set up by the Palace to reconcile and make peace with Etubom Anthony Ani and his loyalists, but regrettably, the panel has not succeeded in bringing the feud to an end.
The panel was headed by a former Chief Judge, Justice Michael Edem Rtd, and had as members a former deputy governor, Mr. Effiok Cobham, a renowned Statesman, High Chief Prof. Eyo Etim Nyong, former Commissioner Rosemary Archibong and former AIG Ene Okon.
Others were Reverend Ubong E. Eyo (a serving Reverend of the Presbyterian Church) and Reverend Father Emmanuel Orok Duke, a serving Reverend Father of the Catholic Church. Their efforts became exercise in an futility as the Etubom Ani’s camp refused to bulge.
The Etubom Ani’s group leaders, who addressed themselves as ‘Legitimate Etubom Traditional Council,’ found fault with the reselection process which again brought on board Edidem Abasi-Otu, and by December last year, they were back in court.
The claimants, who filed interlocutory application in suit No. HC/278/2023 in a Calabar High Court, are Etubom Essien Ekpenyong Efiok, Etubom Okon Asuquo and Etubom Micah Archibong.
The claimants, who are loyal to former Finance Minister, Etubom Tony Ani, said they had selected and proclaimed the former Minister as Obong of Calabar-elect.
Their application is seeking an order restraining the Obong of Calabar from exercising his powers and parading himself as such, as well as “an order directing the government of Cross River State to issue a certificate of recognition to Etubom Ani as the Obong of Calabar,” amongst others.
The matter which came up for hearing penultimate week was adjourned to June 11, 2024 for ruling on the interlocutory application filed by claimants.
The defendants in the case are Edidem Abasi-Otu, Etubom Edem Offiong Effiwat, Edem Ita Essien Ededem, Government of Cross River State and the Attorney General of Cross River State, who incidentally, is said to be a son to the former Minister.
But in a counterclaim, counsels to the defendants said the first claimant, Etubom Essien Ekpenyong Efiok, an Etubom from the Nsa Efiom Ekpo clan, Western Calabar, automatically ceased to be chairman with the demise of the then Obong, His Eminence Elijah Nta Henshaw, sometime in February 2008 and the emergence, coronation and proclamation, of the next Obong of Calabar, Edidem Abasi Otu V.
The legal luminaries explained that “the current and subsisting chairman of the Etuboms Council is Etubom Bob Bassey Duke of Central Calabar as the constitution of Etuboms Traditional Councils requires, as the Obong and chairman of Etubom Traditional Council cannot come from the same bloc as to ensure rotation.”
According to them, “The order of the Court of Appeal was complied with as Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu emerged unanimously and was proclaimed the Obong of Calabar through due process. His Eminence Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi-Otu V was selected in compliance with Supreme and Appeal Court judgments of 13 January 2023 and 4 July 2013 respectively.”
Both parties are again waiting for the Court to give its ruling in what has turned out to be the longest succession tussle ever over the stool of the Obong of Calabar. While the faction loyal to Etubom Ani believes it could oust Edidem Abasi Otu from the throne, the Effanga Nsa Palace of the Obong of Calabar has said there was no reason to worry as an Obong cannot be removed till death.
However, with the gulf of division in the traditional institution growing wider, analysts believe the time has indeed come for Governor Otu to put on his thinking cap and fasten his socio-political belt to frontally tackle the complex nature of these feuds without fear or favour and in the spirit of fair play, give and take.
This is necessary because when two elephants fight, the grasses and trees would know no peace.
