Following the vacation of Obong of Calabar Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu V via a Supreme Court ruling nullifying his kingship last January, a royal rumble is a-brewing in a state with the enviable motto, the nation’s paradise. The face-off has not only split the kingmakers (Etubom Traditional Council) down the middle, but it is also threatening the peaceful coexistence of indigenes of Calabar, as THEWILL found out. Michael Jimoh reports…
Depending on any of the kingmakers you ask who the Obong of Calabar should be at the moment, you’re more than likely to receive two different answers. One was crowned soon after the death of Obong Nta Elijah Henshaw in 2008. Dethroned by a Supreme Court ruling last January and was re-elected almost immediately after by some members of the Etubom Traditional Council in Calabar.
His rival who’d challenged his authority right from enthronement 15 years ago was also recently pronounced as Obong of Calabar elect owing to the ruling of the Supreme Court. Both of them insist they’re the rightful king of one of the oldest ruling houses in Nigeria. And yet, nature forbids two monarchs sitting on the same throne at the same time because there can only be one king at any one time in any one kingdom.
Thus, there is but one Oba of Benin. So is the Sultan of Sokoto and Ooni of Ife, all of them acknowledged first-class traditional rulers in Nigeria and oftentimes addressed as Royal Majesties. To this class of high-ranking traditional rulers belong the Obong of Calabar, a revered title and institution dating back several centuries in the port city once favored by British and French traders for everything from slaves to agricultural produce and much else.
From the first titular head of the Efiks in South-south Nigeria to the last but current monarch, there has never been two people competing for recognition as Obong of Calabar. Not at any time in the recent history of kingship in the coastal city has there been such controversy. Once, during colonial rule in the 1930s, the British tried and failed to stampede an Obong off the throne on account of an unfair tax on market women. The Obong at the time resisted the external British forces and opted to pay the taxes imposed on the women by the Brits.
This time, there are no external forces involved in undermining the authority of the Obong of Calabar. It is from within, from one of the royal houses who believe it was their turn to present a candidate as Obong of Calabar after the demise of Etubom Nta Elijah Henshaw in 2008. Both have drawn the battle line and there appears to be no end in sight to the royal rumble unfolding in the ancient city and onetime capital of Nigeria.
In an interview with THEWILL early last Friday, Chief Archibong Nsa from Mbiabo Ikoneto traced the genesis of the current crisis to 2008 just after the passing of Etubom Nta Elijah Henshaw. “The Obongship in Calabar,” Archibong told THEWILL, “rotates between Western and Central Calabar. That order was broken in 2002 when Edidem Elijah Henshaw was crowned. In the ensuing controversy, then Governor Donald Duke stepped in and set up an inquiry which recommended that everyone let that be bygone and agreed that the next Obong will come from Western Calabar, specifically Ikoneto.”
“In that regard, we presented a candidate, Etubom Anthony Ani who was going through the process before it was interfered with from certain quarters. The very man who hijacked the process is the person parading as the Obong today. The then Etubom Abasi Out, was entrusted by Ikoneto to present our candidacy in producing the next Obong according to the rotational principle adopted by Etubom Traditional Council.”
To Mbiabo Ikoneto whose turn it was to produce the Obong in 2008, nothing could be more galling and betraying of trust. Rather than make a case for Mbiabo Ikoneto, Etubom Abasi Otu presented himself as the candidate in the process. He was thereafter elected Obong of Calabar to succeed the departed Edidem Nta Elijah Henshaw, to the chagrin of everybody.
According to another source in the know of the matter “by the action of the Supreme court, the throne of the Obong of Calabar has been laid vacant for 15 years and actions carried out in that interim period are void.”
The lead judgment delivered by Justice Mohammed Garba and confirmed by Justice Uzo Ndukwe-Anyawu, and Onyekachi Otisi of the Court of Appeal upheld the earlier judgment of the lower court that due process was not followed, Fand the selection of the incumbent was null and void.
“The Calabar High Court presided over by Justice Obgojor Ogar had in a judgment suit number HC/102/2008 in January 2012 brought by Etubom Ani, declared the process that brought the Obong to the throne as null and void and restrained the appointed king from participating in any selection for that purpose.
Justice Ogar restrained the Obong from parading himself as the Obong of Calabar until proper election has been done and restrained the Etubom traditional council, from excluding Etubom Ani and Mbiabo Ikoneto from any election or selection of an Obong, a judgment that for the most part was flagrantly disobeyed as the practice seems to be with court judgments on the stool in contention.
“In his judgment that lasted for about an hour, Justice Garba said, “for the breach of principles and natural justice and the first respondent’s, Anthony Ani’s, right to fair hearing, the selection process conducted by the appellant which terminated in the selection and proclamation of the respondent, Otu, by the Etuboms Council is null and void.”
“This decision was reached by the apex court, consequent upon its finding, that Etubom Abasi Otu was selected and proclaimed in an illegal manner, not in consonance with the principles of equity, fairness, and natural justice. Consequently, to all intents and purposes the throne of the Obong of Calabar has been declared vacant.”
But some other observers of the royal rivalry in the state did not forget that the deposed monarch and his council of chiefs were present at the inaugural ceremony of the new governor of Cross river state Senator Prince Bassey Otu on May 29, sort of giving an official endorsement to Etubom Abasi Otu.
Even so, the source continued, “the courts at every level from state to Supreme have set aside the Obongship of Etubom Abasi Otu and as such reversed actions to proper selection of a king, which requires that candidates be put forward from the houses of Western Calabar but specifically from Ikoneto in accordance with laws of natural justice and equity.
“Normally, the Etubom traditional constitution spell out the criteria for selection of an Obong of Calabar in Section 24 and 29 stating that: A person duly and properly nominated/selected to succeed to the Efik throne, shall be accepted by the council of kingmakers if; a. Agnate blood descendant of a founding ancestor of the Efik tribe, b. An Etubom of a Royal House recognised as such by the Obong and Council, c. holder of an Ekpe title of any of the recognised Ekpe Iboku lodges (Efe Ekpe Iboku) or be in a position to hold one.
In Chief Archibong Nsa’s reckoning, Etubom Abasi Otu has not met some of the conditions required for making him Obong of Calabar especially being of agnate blood descent of the founding ancestor of the Efik tribe. “Apparently, Etubom Abasi Otu has fallen short of fulfilling these requirements and some clans do not even recognize him as the Obong even after 15 years”
According to the order of the Supreme Court early this year, “the selection of a new Obong of Calabar must be based on the 2002 constitution of the Etuboms Traditional Rulers Council, again and by implication of the said judgments, the surviving members of the Etuboms Traditional Rulers Council as constituted in 2008 are seven in number, these are the only persons who have the authority to convene a meeting of the Etuboms Traditional Rulers Council for this purpose. Therefore, pursuant to article 5a (i) of the 2002 Constitution of the Etuboms Council, the only Etuboms who can participate in the Etuboms Conclave are the following Etuboms: Etubom Essien Ekpenyong Efiok, Etubom Micah Archibong VI, Etubom Bassey O. B Duke, Etubom Nyong Effiom Okon JP, Etubom Cobham M. Boco, Etubom Okon E. O Asuquo and Etubom Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu. This is so because all other persons who subsequently became Etuboms thereafter were all not members of the Etuboms Traditional Rulers Council as of March31, 2008.”
Given this tussle for kingship of Calabar, a group under the aegis of the Efik Unity Forum has appealed to the deposed Obong to respect the Supreme Court judgment and to cease parading himself as Obong of Calabar.
In a publication of Ibom Standard, EUF secretary Chief Essien Effiom urged the dethroned monarch to “stop embarrassing the revered institution by still parading himself as king despite a Supreme Court judgment.”
Chief Effiom maintained that “the deposed Obong knew that what he was doing was wrong which was why he never went for the traditional ceremonies of sitting on the Obong Stool or even using the official staff of office,” insisting that “people should ask him why he has not gone to Atakpa to wear the original crown or seat on the stool. Why did he have to make a throne for himself? Why did he not enter Eyamba House and take the original staff of office?
“He knows the spiritual and physical implications of taking that action, and the fact that he has not done these things is the evidence we need to state with confidence that he is not the rightful person to be Obong and he himself in his heart of hearts knows this.”
Speaking further of the rotational kingship, the EUF averred that “the rotation was to be between Western Calabar comprising of Creek Town, Mbiabo and Adiabo and Central Calabar consisting of Duke Town, Henshaw Town, Cobham Town and Old Town (Obutong). “Since the rotation started, the stool has been occupied as follows: David James Henshaw (Henshaw Town, Central), Essien Ekpe Oku (Creek Town, Western), Eyo Ephraim Adam (Duke Town, Central), Otu Ekpenyong Efa (Adiabo-Western), Boco Ene Mkpang Cobham, (Cobham, Central), Nta Elijah Henshaw (Henshaw Town, Central).”
From that, Adiabo, the clan which the deposed Obong claims, had already taken its turn through Otu Efa when the Western Calabar got its last opportunity. According to the EUF, Etubom Abasi Otu “is allegedly from Okobo and not Efik and his claim to the stool even if true is not from the male stock. His family name is reportedly Isukise, which he has tried to hide over the years.”
How this royal tussle will pan out is hard to say, considering that both have dug their heels in their respective positions. On May 22, four of the seven members of Etubom Traditional Council (of which the deposed Obong is one) went through a selection process and proclaimed Etubom Anthony Ani as Obong of Calabar. It would appear that they have gone through the proper and documented processes to arrive at this conclusion.
No doubt one of these candidates will be Obong of Calabar in the end. And if the judgment of the Supreme Court is to be followed to the letter, then the people of Cross River already know who the crown may likely fall on.
Quoting from the judgment of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in Appeal No: SC.633/2013 — Etubom Anthony Ani & Ors v. Etubom Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu and Ors. and Appeal No: SC.634/2013 — Etubom Anthony Ani & Ors v. Etubom Essien Ekpeyong Efiok and Ors. delivered on the 13th of January 2023, “But it is my view that the justice of this case demands that the Western Calabar Traditional Council which was mandated to select an Etubom from amongst themselves who shall be the new Obong should go back to the drawing board and start the process on a clean slate. This is because the way and manner in which the first respondent was selected and proclaimed as the Obong of Calabar, polluted the selection process or should I say muddied the waters so that there is no clear view of when and where to say this far and no more in the process of selecting the next Obong. In the circumstance, the best way to go is for the Western Council to conduct another process to select an Etubom who shall be the new Obong of Calabar.”
About the Author
Michael Jimoh is a Nigerian journalist with many years experience in print media. He is currently a Special Correspondent with THEWILL.
