-As Politicians Polarize Ifim Ibom, Mboho, Ibibio Groups
BY FRANKLYN ISONG
Indications have emerged at the weekend that the battle for who occupies the Akwa Ibom State seat of power, Hilltop Mansion, in 2015, has started gathering momentum and gradually creeping into some ethnic groups as the recent squabble in Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio and Ifim Ibom Ibibio was not unconnected to the race, Weekly Insight investigation reveals.
Ibibio nation is the fourth largest ethnic group in the country and the major group in Akwa Ibom state that normally dictates the political pace in the state using its numerical strength.
Our checks show that there are about 70 recognized groups in Ibibio land (traditional and socio-cultural) within and outside the country to cater for its interests and that of the members and indigenes of the state, especially those of the ethnic stock.
This paper learnt that the seeming crisis that almost rocked Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio have some allegedly element of political motives because some powerful members of the group who perceived that the current leadership was not dancing towards their political aspirations as it has to do with the 2015 polls in the state.
Our source hinted that the aggrieved Mboho members reportedly held clandestine meetings among themselves to perfect the strategy to factionalize the group in other to break the rank and file of the group and by extension, divide the ethnic group along political boundaries.
However, the international President of Mboho Akparawa Ibibio, Akp. Nsen Ubeh has dismissed as false such reports of political connection to the crisis in Mboho, saying that the issue was basically engineered by some former selfish-members of the group in United States of America (USA) who felt hurt when they were asked to vacate office after the expiration of their tenure as the High commissioner of the group in USA.
Akp. Ubeh who made this reaction through a telephone chat with Weekly Insight while fielding questions from China yesterday, noted that the issues have since been resolved in the “Mboho way” as those behind the unfortunate plot to destabilize Mboho have been shown the way out in line with the constitution of the group.
Another group within Ibibio race that has also recently been thrown into crisis is the Ifim Ibom Ibibio, the Supreme Council of Ibibio Traditional Rulers in the state. While the conflict in Mboho was that of autonomy being demanded by some members in the USA chapter, that of Ifim Ibom Ibibio was the long issue of succession to the throne of Okuibom Ibibio.
Weekly Insight learnt that though the crisis started almost immediately after Governor Godswill Obot Akpabio was endorsed at Asan Ibibio by Ibibio nation for his re-election bid in the 2011 governorship poll, which was spearheaded by Ifim Ibom, speculations were rife at the weekend that the recent crisis in the body was not unconnected to the 2015 governorship election.
The 2015 race has so far thrown up some powerful indigenes of the Ibibio stock jostling for the top job of the state. At the moment, the State Deputy Governor, Mr. Nsima Udo Ekere; the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Umana Okon Umana; the state deputy chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bishop Samuel Akpan, have indicated interest to occupy the exalted office in 2015.
Ekere hails from Ikot Abasi LGA while Umana hails from Nsit Ubium LGA and Akpan hails from ONNA LGA.
Our sources in ONNA observed that though Akpan is a subject of Edidem Akpabio Udo Ukpa, the paramount ruler of ONNA, he (Akpan) was not in anyway in support of Ukpa for the exalted throne of Okuibom Ibibio because the monarch did not support his senatorial ambition in the just concluded election.
The source further hinted that the relationship between Edidem Ukpa and Bishop Akpan was like that of “cat and mouse,” saying that Akpan would be the last person to accept that Ukpa should ascend the throne of Okuibom Ibom Ibibio because he was not convinced that the treatment he got from his Paramount Ruler during his ambition when he paid a consultation visit to him (Ukpa) in his palace with members of his electioneering campaign team, would not repeat in 2015 when eventually he (Ukpa) was allowed to ascend the Okuibom Ibibio stool.
According to our source, Akpan’s fears include that Ukpa could be eyeing the stool so as to be in a position to victimize him by using the stool to thwart his effort to garner support from Ibibio rulers, while throwing such support to another governorship aspirant from the same Eket Senatorial district.
However, there were strong indications that like Akpan, the Secretary to the State Government was not comfortable with Edidem Ukpa because of the issue of zoning which he fears Ukpa might insist on using the stool.
Political analysts observe that for the paramount ruler of Ikot Abasi to chair the planning committee for the coronation of Ukpa as Okuibom, the fingers of some top government officials from the area could be behind Ukpa because the area has thrown up people eyeing the 2015 governorship seat. This argument was however, countered by a public commentator who told this paper that the other monarchs were allegedly working for the election of one of their sons in government from Uyo senatorial district since they (monarchs) have the required majority to out do Edidem Ukpa in the struggle.
Meanwhile, the paramount ruler of Etinan LGA and the leader of the eight monarchs, Edidem Ime Dickson Umoette, has denied that the struggle was politically motivated.
Edidem Umoette who spoke to Weekly Insight in his palace at the weekend, noted that their position and bone of contention was that Ibibio tradition and custom should be followed to the latter no matter who was involved.
He argued that why Edidem Ukpa could not ascend the throne now was because Okuibom 1, late Edidem Udo Uyota Akpabio, hailed from ONNA, saying that before an ONNA monarch could become an Okuibom Ibibio that the other Ibibio LGAs must have held the position because, according to him, the constitution of Ifim Ibom Ibibio makes the stool rotational on alphabetical order.
Irked by the reports that the crisis in Ifim Ibom was about 2015 governorship election in the state, the royal father said, “it is insulting for anybody in the state to say that the paramount rulers of Ibibio land are politicians and were using the revered stool of Okuibom which is the highest in Ibibio land to work for a particular politician in the state.”
While, the secretary of Ifim Ibom Ibibio and the paramount ruler of Itu, Edidem Edet Akpan Inyang on his part dismissed the reports, noting that it was far from the truth as the issue has been there before now.
Edidem Inyang advised politicians not to be involved in traditional matters, saying that Okuibom matter could not be politicized because there were traditional and customary rites to be performed before a monarch such as Okuibom was installed “and it can never be Edidem Ukpa because our constitution is very clear about the stool and the qualification a monarch must have and it must be through rotation.
However, pundits say that while the struggle for the 2015 governorship seat continues unabated in the state, more groups are expected to be in crisis as plots and counter-plots among power gladiators are inevitable since politics is purely a game of intrigues and scheming; while horse-trading remains the hallmark of politician, observing that from next year, the people of the state should expect more from politicians.
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