Obong Of Calabar Feud? Case Closed
4 min read
Godwin AJOM, Calabar
The feud between the Obong of Calabar, His Eminence, Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi-Otu V and another contender for the revered stool, Chief Anthony Ani has come to an end. The Supreme Court has spoken and that brings to an end, the long drawn battle.
But the apex court judgement appears to be causing more confusion. Last Friday, the media space was agog with reports of the dethronement of the Obong of Calabar. So, what he dethroned? Or is he still very much on the throne?
What did the judgement actually say? This and other questions were put out to some of the people that should know. One of them, an Etubom(kingmaker) and former commissioner who did not want his name in print, told TNN: “Yesterday, the Supreme Court made three pronouncements; one and two was that the appeals brought by Anthony Ani against the Etubom Traditional Council with some other people mentioned, was dismissed, for want of merit. Two is that “bear your own cost”, that’s all.
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“The celebration by the Etuboms was because the appeal by Anthony Ani against the Obong and his cabinet was dismissed for lack of merit. Every other thing you are seeing is speculation. Tony wanted the court of appeal judgement to be thrown away, but rather, it was affirmed by the Supreme Court, and he was barred for life from the contest.
The pronouncement by the Supreme Court as reported to us is that the two appeals brought by Etubom Ani were dismissed for lack of merit. All parties were then told to bear their own costs. That is what the chiefs were celebrating yesterday because it means the war is over.”
But what about the part that the Obong was dethroned by the Supreme court which also ordered for a fresh king selection process?
All the other stories are speculation and paid propaganda. I am happy that you are seeking for the truth. We are waiting to see the full judgement; then we can decide whether to respond to all the speculations or not.
Ani carried the matter to Supreme Court because he wasn’t satisfied with the pronouncement of the Court of Appeal. On getting there, he was dismissed, which means he has lost. It means the war is over, he has nothing to hold against us again.
But what about the interpretation that a fresh king selection was ordered?
The people that said it, who are they? Have they seen the judgement? Why didn’t they quote the judgement? Ani has been quiet and totally silent because he lost, the reports of our Obong’s dethronement are sponsored speculations. If not so, by now Ani would have congratulated the Supreme Court for the judgement, but he lost.
Can we have a copy of the judgement so we can make reference?
No human being has seen the judgement, apart from the judge. If the judgement was available, you think we won’t scrutinize it? You should wait until you see the judgement; but was pronounced was ‘case dismissed’, nobody can fault you for saying that, Tony Ani’s case was dismissed for lack of merit. Any other thing is conjecture, speculations and assumption.”
The lower court (Court of Appeal) said Ani was disqualified; that the fact that he even participated in the election made that election defective. So, they should go back and redo it, that’s what the Court of Appeal said in 2013. They went back and did it and made sure that according to the directive of the Court of Appeal, that Ani’s name was not included and the result came out and the Obong won.
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Why has the Obong’s palace not come up with a document to debunk the speculations?
You know the Obong’s palace has not seen the judgement. So, until we see the judgement. You think about it, they cannot just come out, so some people have reported, but have you seen the judgement anywhere or held the copy of that judgement? The answer is no. They were paid to arrive there.
They wrote to suit their own purpose. Some are writing in favour of the Obong while others are writing in favour of Anthony Ani This is the era of speculations and propaganda, but what you can hold unto is that the case was dismissed. The case of Anthony Ani versus Obong of Calabar, was dismissed yesterday for lack of merit.
Nelly Andem-Rabana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, counsel to the Obong of Calabar, in an interview with a national television which was monitored by TNN in Calabar also corroborated the Etubom’s position.
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She said “the judgement of the lower court, that is the court of Appeal, has been affirmed and the appeal lacks merit. And so it’s been dismissed. I think there is nothing else to say, other than, that the Obong of Calabar who has been on the stool since 2008, and who the Utom-Obong, people from all over Nigeria, the Efiks in particular has come to celebrate him because they appreciate him, their actions have been affirmed and he is the rightful Obong and therefore, that matter has been laid to rest. And ‘all Efiks would come together to support and promote a stool that existed long before 1893.”
