The eminence of the natural ruler, grand patriarch of Efik Eburutu Kingdom and the Obong of Calabar has been reaffirmed with a recent disclosure from the gubernatorial candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC in Cross River NEGROIDHAVEN has garnered.
Effiong Efa Nyong of the ADC disclosed that the seat of the Obong of Calabar in Nigeria’s south southern extraction was already in existence long before the advent of European businessmen, religionist and colonial governments. The politician who revealed that the span of influence of the Efik monarch stretched to present day Equitorial Guinea decried the level of constraints by secular governments against the seat. If and when elected governor, Nyong promised to reverse the trend.
Expressing his commitment, Nyong said, ‘No not in my time will such defamation continue, we shall restore the dignity, pride, integrity and reverence of our traditional institutions. The Stool of the Obong of Calabar, one of the most recognized in the country, a treaty king will be restituted.’
Etubom Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu V has, for the umpteenth time, been reaffirmed the Obong of Calabar, Natural Ruler and Grand Patriarch of Efik Eburutu Kingdom NEGROIDHAVEN can report authoritatively. pic.twitter.com/DpAOtIBhwO
— NEGROID HAVEN (@NegroidHaven) January 14, 2023
Nyong made this commitment against the backdrop of the last Friday Supreme Court of Nigeria’s judgement which upheld the 2013 ruling of the Court of Appeal directing that the incumbent Obong of Calabar, His Eminence Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu V should be subjected to a reselection process as grand patriarch of the Efik.
His words, ‘It saddens my heart each time we take our sacred matters to the market square, wash our dirty linens in public and we want respect and dignity from outsiders. When the European merchants , missionaries and later governments came the Obong of Calabar was already sitted. Long before the amalgamation of the northern and southern protectorates of Nigeria before independence in 1960.
‘The Obong of Calabar collected taxes up to the territory of today’s Equatorial Guinea ,his influence was enormous, today even his Land and wealth in present day Bakassi has been taken away through a conspiracy’.
Speaking further, the ADC gubernatorial candidate revealed how previous political administrations in the state attempted to denigrate the traditional stool beginning with former Donald Duke, ‘The story of the African Monarchical stool , which the very people and persons who are supposed to uphold , constituted the band of those wanting to bring the revered stool to ridicule. From the days of former Governor Donald Duke and his adventurous show of power to the immediate past Obong of Calabar, the late Edidem Elijah Nta Henshaw to the tussles of the present leading to the supreme court ruling. We have also been witnesses to the removal from office of professor Hogan Itam as the Muri of the Efuts and the creation of the seat called “the Paramount ruler of Calabar South.
Recall that NEGROIDHAVEN had earlier reported that the incumbent Obong of Calabar has been selected by the kingmakers and accepted by the people of Efik Eburutu Kingdom, three (3) times so far. pic.twitter.com/NM7cAu7WYD
— NEGROID HAVEN (@NegroidHaven) January 14, 2023
‘The desecration and intransigence hurts. All on the altar of political expediency and over bloated egos. In Efik, Efut Abakpa, Kiong and other heritable or hereditary stools we know ourselves ,and we know impostors and they know that we know them. A true son does not need any announcement , the family knows and the ancestors bear witness.’
Recall that NEGROIDHAVEN had earlier reported that the Etubom Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu V has, for the umpteenth time, been reaffirmed the Obong of Calabar, Natural Ruler and Grand Patriarch of Efik Eburutu Kingdom following Friday’s Supreme Court of Nigeria’s judgement affirming the decision of the Court of Appeal which dismissed the two appeals of Chief Anthony Ani a former Minister of Finance.
It should be noted that the pronouncement of the Supreme Court was that the 2 appeals brought by Anthony Ani were thrown out for ‘lack of merit’.
The content of this Supreme Court judgement is a reaffirmation of the appellate court judgement of 10 years ago confirming that Anthony Ani was never qualified to contest and that his participation rendered the exercise defective. She then ordered a fresh election without Anthony Ani and in accordance with the 2002 Constitution rules of selection.
This was complied with and redone 10 years ago. Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu V was then re-proclaimed as the Obong of Calabar.
EDITORIAL
This story amongst others are reviewed on Sparkling 92.3FM http://mixlr.com/sparkling923fm–2 and FAD 93.1FM. Again, opinions expressed on NegroidHaven are exclusively the author’s not NH’s.
