ATTEMPTS by the deposed Obong of Calabar Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi
Otu and others to stop the implementation of the court judgment that
deposed him has failed.
A Calabar High Court, presided over by Justice Obgojor Ogar had in a judgment on January 30, 2012, brought by one of the contestants of the Obong stool, Etubom Anthony Ani, declared the process that brought the Obong to the throne as null and void and restrained Otu 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 also restrained the Etubom Traditional Council (ETC) from excluding Etubom Anthony Ani and Mbiabo Ikoneto from any election or selection of an Obong.
Among other rulings, the court also declared that “the purported selection of the 4th defendant (Otu) as the Obong of Calabar elect, who is from Adiabo is contrary to the decision of the Western Calabar Traditional Council that Ikoneto has the exclusive right to produce the next Obong of Calabar.”
But not satisfied with the judgment, the Etubom Traditional Council of the Obong’s Palace and the Obong filled a notice for stay of execution of the judgment in the High Court that issued the order.
Ani and others through their counsel Mr. Joe Agi (SAN) filled a counter affidavit and the matter was fixed for today for the ETC and the deposed Obong, through their Counsel, Chief Ladi Williams (SAN) and Nella Andem Rabana (SAN) to come and move their motion.
Williams failed to show up in court yesterday to move the motion and another person representing Mrs. Rabana, who appeared for the Obong, could not continue, as the original counsel to the deposed Obong, Mr. Ukpong Eba, did not officially pull out of the case.
Eba, who was present in court, did not show appearance for the deposed Obong and did not make comments.
Agi, therefore, applied that the application for stay of execution be struck out given the presnt circumstance.
Accordingly, Justice Ogar ruled that a fresh counsel could not appear for the deposed Obong since Eba did not formally withdraw from the matter and it was not argued, therefore, struck out the application for being abandoned.
A Calabar High Court, presided over by Justice Obgojor Ogar had in a judgment on January 30, 2012, brought by one of the contestants of the Obong stool, Etubom Anthony Ani, declared the process that brought the Obong to the throne as null and void and restrained Otu 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 also restrained the Etubom Traditional Council (ETC) from excluding Etubom Anthony Ani and Mbiabo Ikoneto from any election or selection of an Obong.
Among other rulings, the court also declared that “the purported selection of the 4th defendant (Otu) as the Obong of Calabar elect, who is from Adiabo is contrary to the decision of the Western Calabar Traditional Council that Ikoneto has the exclusive right to produce the next Obong of Calabar.”
But not satisfied with the judgment, the Etubom Traditional Council of the Obong’s Palace and the Obong filled a notice for stay of execution of the judgment in the High Court that issued the order.
Ani and others through their counsel Mr. Joe Agi (SAN) filled a counter affidavit and the matter was fixed for today for the ETC and the deposed Obong, through their Counsel, Chief Ladi Williams (SAN) and Nella Andem Rabana (SAN) to come and move their motion.
Williams failed to show up in court yesterday to move the motion and another person representing Mrs. Rabana, who appeared for the Obong, could not continue, as the original counsel to the deposed Obong, Mr. Ukpong Eba, did not officially pull out of the case.
Eba, who was present in court, did not show appearance for the deposed Obong and did not make comments.
Agi, therefore, applied that the application for stay of execution be struck out given the presnt circumstance.
Accordingly, Justice Ogar ruled that a fresh counsel could not appear for the deposed Obong since Eba did not formally withdraw from the matter and it was not argued, therefore, struck out the application for being abandoned.
No comments:
Post a Comment