The Supreme Court has dismissed the appeal by Etubom Anthony Ani challenging the ascendancy of Etubom Abasi Otu as the Obong of Calabar and the grand patriarch of the Efik Kingdom.
In the judgement read by Justice Amina Augie on Friday, the apex court held that Ani’s appeal lacked merit.
The decision upheld the judgement of the Court of Appeal on the matter.
Ani had brought the appeal challenging the judgment of the Court of Appeal on June 4, 2013, which held that he was not qualified to vie for the throne of Obong of Calabar having not been capped as an Etubom Council of the Palace as of the time of the election in 2008.
However, a Cross River State High Court had agreed with Ani, who had contended that it was the turn of his royal house, which had never ascended the throne, and that it was contrary to the principle of natural justice, equity and good conscience to elect him as Obong of Calabar.
Justice Obojor Ogar, in his ruling, held that “the purported selection of the 4th defendant (Etubom Abasi Otu) as the Obong of Calabar-elect, who is from Adiabo is contrary to the decision of the Western Calabar Traditional Rulers Council that Ikoneto has the exclusive right to produce the next Obong of Calabar.”
