OBONG OF CALABAR TUSSLE: LEAKED DOCUMENT EXPOSES RECOMMENDATIONS OF LATE FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL
A leaked document has revealed the recommendations of the late former Attorney General of Cross River State, Tanko Ashang, SAN, regarding the Supreme Court judgment on the Obong of Calabar stool. The document, dated January 2023, outlines the former Attorney General's advice on the selection process for a new Obong of Calabar.
According to the document, the Supreme Court's judgment highlighted three key points: the vacancy in the Obong of Calabar stool, the need for a new selection process in line with the 2002 Constitution, and the requirement for the Western Calabar Traditional Council to kick-start the selection process.
The former Attorney General recommended that the Western Calabar Traditional Council cannot commence the selection process without directives from the Palace. He also advised that the people who occupied the positions of Chairman and Secretary of the Etubom Traditional Council in 2002 should administer the Palace pending selection.
Furthermore, the document emphasizes that the government has no role in the selection process but should be informed as a matter of courtesy. The former Attorney General urged the government to intervene and ensure peace and order are maintained during the selection process.
This development comes after the Supreme Court's judgment in January 2023, which ordered a fresh selection process for the Obong of Calabar stool The court's decision was a result of a long-standing dispute over the throne.
In a related development, the High Court of Cross River State recently threw out a suit seeking to remove the current Obong of Calabar, Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi-Otu V. The court ruled that granting such an order would cause "incalculable and avoidable damage" to the office of the Obong.
The leaked document has shed new light on the complex and contentious issue of the Obong of Calabar stool. As the selection process unfolds, it remains to be seen how the recommendations of the former Attorney General will be implemented.
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