Tension heightens in Ikot Ekpene
...as pro-Ekpo clanheadship plan a showdown
Economic and social activities in Ikot Ekpene may be brought to a stand-still next week as a group loyal to Dr. Ime S. Ekpo's clanheadship of Otoro-Ubo clan plan to stage a peaceful demonstration in the town to register their dspleasure over the government's deliberate failure to grant certificate of recognition to Dr. Ekpo as clanhead of Otoro-Ubo.
The group, known as Transparency Initiative for Good Governance (TIGG), through its national media consultant, Mr. Josiah Umoren, said the planned showdown is expected to block major roads leading to the city, the city plaza, markets (Urua Oto and Urua Mbakara), the local government secretariat, the motor parks, and major government's facilities in the town but assured that it will be peaceful and orderly but ordered business owners to shut down their businesses throughout the period for fear of criminals taking advantage to destroy properties and loot people's items.
In a communique issued at the end of the annual conference held at the group's secretariat in Ikot Ekpene last week, the group reacted to the government's continued delay in issuing a certificate to the clanhead-elect of Otoro-Ubo clan, Dr. Ime S. Ekpo, to give him the authority to act as the royal head of the clan. The communique also condemned the reported attempts by some politicians and a section of the Traditional Rulers Council members of the place to use politics of man-know-man and godfatherism to sweep Dr. Ekpo's credibility under the carpet. The group also wondered why Udom's administration which governance philosophy draws authority from God should succumb to calumnies and blackmailing from mischief-makers, whose aim is to misdirect His Excellency's policy measures and focus, rather than strengthening the structure of his legal regime.
A member of the group who spoke to newsmen after the conference but begged not to be named, said some royal fathers in Ikot Ekpene and politicians who are in Udom's government, are building on the enmity and hatred they had for the late father of Dr. Ekpo, Okuku (Obong) Sunday Udo Ekpo Akaka, and vow to use all instruments of government to turn Governor Udom's mind against Dr. Ekpo's right for Otoro-Ubo's clanheadship and to ridicule his relevance in royal matters of Ikot
Ekpene. "It is an act of irresponsibility and moral immaturity for people to transfer grudges from one generation to another generation; patronizing them too, is another act of uncivilizedness", the source reasoned.
Obong Sunday Udo Ekpo Akaka was a first-class chief in Annang land who combined his royal voice with his unrivalled trado-medical enterprise. He was an authority in analysing the cultural heritage and ancestry of Annang people. During his life and times, his large-heartedness in accommodating the needs of the people within and outside his royal domain endeared him to the hearts of the people, while his refusal to compromise injustice, inequity and nepotism, in the discharge of his royal functions, created enmity for him, from the royal family of the place. His fame and popularity did not augur well with other royal fathers who constantly devised several means to either eliminate him or diminish his royal power.
It is belived that the remnant forces against Okuku Sunday Udo Ekpo are back on stage to use similar forces against his son, Dr. Ime S. Ekpo.
It could be recalled that election for Otoro-Ubo clanheadship was conducted among three major contestants-Chief David Ukpong Ukut of Utu Ikpe, Barr. Alban Udofia of Nsiak and Dr. Ime S. Ekpo of Utu Edem Usung. Dr. Ime S. Ekpo polled 6 votes while Chief David Ukut and Barr, Alban Udofia polled 1 and 2 votes respectively making Dr. Ekpo the winner and clanhead-elect of Otoro-Ubo clan.
After Ekpo's victory at the election, some bureaucratic forces have been mounted on Governor Udom against issuing certificate of recognition to Dr. Ekpo, to start functioning as the royal head of the new clan.
Against this backlash, the group, which philosophy is to build and encourage a harmonised society through dialoguing between the community and government, feels the only way to register its dissatisfaction is to embark on a peaceful demonstration, to remind the governor of his neglected responsibility, which the world has been watching with keen interest.
Although, the actual day for the showdown has not been decided, the public affairs department of the group says it would not exceed the first week of May.