Tension, Outrage in ASAN Ibibio over Okuibom Stool

Tension, Outrage in ASAN Ibibio over Okuibom Stool
- As Ibibio Nation rises against Edidem Ukpa 
- Vows to Resists His Installation 
By Franklyn Isong


The raging crisis in Ibibio land over the Okuibom throne is far from being resolved as it presented itself in a joint meeting of Ifim Ibom Ibibio, Akwa Esop Imaisong Ibibio, Ibibio Elders Forum, Supreme Council of Ibibio Youth and other prominent groups in Ibibio land at Asan Ibibio on Friday, January 6, 2012.
The meeting which was called by Akwa Esop Imaisong Ibibio at the instance of Ifim Ibom Ibibio was presided over by the Acting President of Ifim Ibom Ibibio, the Paramount Ruler of Etinan Local Government Area, Edidem Ime Dickson Umoette, who rebuked the Paramount Ruler of ONNA LGA, Edidem Akpabio Udo Ukpa for going ahead with his planned installation as Okuibom Ibibio.
Edidem Akpabio Ukpa had last year during a visit to Akwa Ibom state governor, Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio, notified him of his planned installation as the Okubom III on January 13, 2012 in Ibom Hall grounds.
Speaking at the Asan Ibibio meeting at the weekend, the acting president of Ifim Ibom Ibibio, Edidem Ime Umoette, told the gathering that the meeting was called to educate Ibibio people in the state on the controversy surrounding Okuibom stool, saying that it was necessary for the people to know the truth so that the fourth largest ethnic group could unite against any act of incursion by anyone.
He observed that the crisis started during the administration of ex-governor Victor Attah when he appointed a new paramount ruler for Ibesikpo Asutan LGA after the demise of the former paramount ruler, Usonyin Okon Ekpo Ekpo who was the Okuibom II, without the proclamation of the death and burial of the late monarch by the government.
Edidem Umoette further said that the action of Obong Attah’s government was wrong as it led to litigation between the late monarch’s family and the government, noting that it took him and other Ibibio paramount rulers to plead with the family of late Usonyin Ekpo to get his first son, Prince Mandu Ekpo, to withdraw the matter from court of law after the present administration of Godswill Akpabio had shown interest in the burial of the former paramount ruler and king of Ibibio nation according to tradition.
According to the Etinan monarch, Ibibio Paramount Rulers were in a meeting with ex-governor Attah when the then governor-elect, Chief Godswill Akpabio, walked into the meeting uninvited and in the cause of the meeting, Edidem Ukpa was erroneously introduced as Okuibom, saying that while the said meeting progressed, Ukpa pleaded with Obong Attah to give him a vehicle as he had none. 
He noted that governor Akpabio (then governor-elect) told Obong Attah to give him and his government the opportunity to provide Edidem Ukpa with a vehicle when he assumes the office of governor, since Attah had done much for the monarchs of Annang extraction including the Itah Afeh Annang which Obong Attah gave a vehicle.
Umoette said that when governor Akpabio assumed office, he kept to his words, noting that Akpabio did not give Ukpa the vehicle because he (Ukpa) was the Okuibom but because Ukpa was a paramount ruler from Ibibio extraction.
He berated Ukpa for putting the emblem of Okuibom on the said vehicle, asking rhetorically “where was Ukpa selected as Okuibom? Who ekong udak on him? did he remove ntong ekpo from Usonyin graveside?,” adding that Ukpa has never been made the Okuibom Ibibio, since the throne was not vacant then because Usonyin was yet to be buried.
He contended that “every action taken by the government of Victor Attah in relation to the Okuibom stool remains null and void since it was not in good faith and fell short of Ibibio tradition and custom,” adding that “the constitution of Ifim Ibom Ibibio made it clear that the tenure of Ukpa’s vice presidency to Usonyin Ekpo was three years and expired years before the proclamation and burial of Usonyin. Okuibom I was from old Eket now ONNA LGA, while Okuibom II was from Ibesikpo Asutan LGA and the Okuibom III, Edidem Robert James Obot was from Nsit Ubium LGA because the constitution of Ifim Ibom Ibibio says that Okuibom position shall be rotational based on alphabetical order. And the constitution further made the paramount rulers of Ibibio land to be the kingmakers of Okuibom.”
He called on Ibibio people in the state and in Diaspora to disregard any media report of installation of an Okuibom since Ifim Ibom Ibibio was yet to select another Okuibom after the burial of Edidem Obot, who, according to him, was the Okuibom III, noting that there were procedures and steps to be fulfilled by any paramount ruler of Ibibio nation before he could ascend the throne. 
Umoette said, “there is no title like ‘Akwa Edidem’ in Ibibio land. What that title means is the ‘almighty’, the ‘highest’. Nobody has the right to acclaim the title of Akwa Edidem because he is not God. It is only God that can be called Akwa Edidem. I want this things to be placed on record. Nobody is god. If you Akwa Edidem, you are Akwa Edidem in your family and in your house but not to me and to the people of Ibibio nation. The only title acceptable to us is ‘Edidem and His Eminence’. Those titles are enough for the paramount rulers of Ibibio land.”
While in his speech, the leader of Akwa Esop Imaisong Ibibio, Ntisong Essien Udo Ekidem, observed that going by the constitution of Ifim Ibom Ibibio, it was the duty of the paramount rulers of Ibibio land to select an Okuibom based on the principle of rotation and decried that the matter has not been resolved by the monarch up till the day of the meeting because of some external influences.
He advised the monarch to resolve the matter according to Ibibio traditional, saying that as the leader of Akwa Esop, and custodian of Asan Ibibio, he would abide by the decision of the paramount rulers since it was their sole responsibility to select and install Okuibom for Ibibio nation.
Obong Ekidem sued for peace and unity among Ibibio ethnic groups in the state and condemned the purported planned installation of Ukpa, noting that he could not install himself as Okuibom for Ibibio race.
Also speaking, the Chairman of Ibibio Elders Forum, Dr. Okon Akpan Oku, said that the crisis was unnecessary since there were laid down constitutional provisions on how an Okuibom should be selected and installed. He noted that the paramount rulers led by Edidem Umoette were right. He called on Edidem Ukpa to give peace a chance and allow the matter to be handled traditionally and according to the constitution of Ifim Ibom.
Speaker after speaker supported the decision of the Edidem Umoette led Ifim Ibom, urging them to select an Okuibom based on their constitutional provision and in line with Ibibio tradition. 
The paramount ruler of ONNA, Edidem Akpabio Ukpa had laid claims to the stool immediately the demise of Usonyin Okon Ekpo Ekpo, the Okuibom II and late Paramount Ruler of Ibesikpo Asutan LGA. He was the vice president to Usonyin Okon Ekpo Ekpo and acted as Okuibom until the proclamation and burial of Usonyin Ekpo when some royal fathers under the auspices of Paramount Rulers of Essien Ibibio declared the stool vacant during Late Usonyin Ekpo’s obituary proclamation at Asan Ibibio.
Their reason was that, there was nothing like “acting Okuibom” in Ifim Ibom Ibibio Constitution and that the stool was not vacant since the occupant (Usoyin Ekpo) was yet to be given his final burial rites according to Ibibio tradition, noting that it was sacrilege for anybody to parade himself as Okuibom while the corpse of the late occupant of the stool was still in the mortuary. 
Those present at the meeting on the side of Ifim Ibom Ibibio were: the chairman of the State Council of Chiefs, and Paramount Ruler of Ibiono Ibom, Okuku Dr. Ime Udousoro Inyang; the Acting President and Paramount Ruler of Etinan, Edidem Ime Dickson Umoette; the Secretary-General and Paramount Ruler of Itu, Edidem Edet Akpan Inyang; the Treasurer and Paramount Ruler of Uruan, Edidem E.B.A. Ekanem; the paramount ruler of Uyo, Edidem Edem Silas Akpan; Nsit Atai, Edidem A. U. Ntuen; Nsit Ibom, Edidem Manasseh S. Akpan. Others were: the presiding member of Ikono TRC who represented the monarch; and Etebom Sylvanus Okon, the clan head of Ofot Ukwa among several other clan/village heads of Ibibio extraction. 
On the side of Akwa Esop Imaisong Ibibio were, Ntisong Essien Ekidem; Prof. I.I. Ukpong; immediate past council chairman of Eket, Hon. Emmanuel Udo among several other members of Akwa Esop. While Dr. Okon Akpan Oku, the chairman of Ibibio Elders Forum and members of his group including Dr. Okon Emah were also in attendance.