NEWS
Clan Head Succession: Ikot Ekpene Village Heads Disown Court Suit, Reaffirm Commitment to Due Process
The position was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of an extraordinary meeting of the Village Heads held at the Traditional Rulers Council (TRC) Hall, Ikot Ekpene, where they reviewed recent developments surrounding the succession process and the ongoing litigation.
According to the communiqué, the meeting was convened to examine the circumstances leading to the court action and to articulate the collective position of the Village Heads on the matter.
The traditional rulers recalled that the Clan Head stool became vacant following the demise and burial of the late Clan Head, His Highness Obong Akpan Offong Udoidiong. They noted that the process for the emergence of a successor had commenced under the supervision of the Paramount Ruler of Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area, in line with established customs and traditional procedures, before the exercise, scheduled for January 27, 2026, was suspended by the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs pending further directives.
Following the suspension, the communiqué stated, the Paramount Ruler directed that no Village Head within the Urban Clan should convene meetings of the Clan Council during the interregnum, while the affairs of the clan would remain under his supervision until a substantive Clan Head is duly installed.
On the pending litigation, the Village Heads acknowledged the existence of Suit No. HT/32/2026 instituted by three Village Heads—Etteidung Emek Udo Nkanta of Utu Ikot Essien, Etteidung Akpan Udo Odung of Uruk Uso, and Etteidung Ime S. Ekpo of Utu Edem Usung—against the Traditional Rulers Council, its President and Secretary, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, and the Governor of Akwa Ibom State.
However, they maintained that the action was purely a personal initiative of the three plaintiffs and did not, in any way, represent the collective position of the Ikot Ekpene Urban Clan Council.
The communiqué stressed that no meeting of the Urban Clan Council had been convened since the demise of the late Clan Head, contrary to claims reportedly contained in the court processes. Consequently, it said, no resolution was ever passed authorising any person or group to institute legal proceedings in the name of, or on behalf of, the Ikot Ekpene Urban Clan Council.
“The purported representation of the Village Heads in the suit is inaccurate, misleading and without any mandate whatsoever,” the communiqué stated, adding that the legal action reflects only the personal views and decisions of the three plaintiffs.
The Village Heads further expressed concern over what they described as attempts by the plaintiffs to appropriate the identity of the Urban Clan Council in pursuit of personal objectives. They urged the public, government authorities and the court not to construe the suit as representing the collective will or official position of the Village Heads.
Reaffirming their commitment to peace and due process, the traditional rulers pledged their continued support for the directive of the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs suspending the succession exercise pending further directives.
They also expressed unwavering confidence in the Paramount Ruler of Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area, His Royal Majesty Okuku Okon Udo Ukut, describing him as the lawful custodian and administrator of the affairs of the Urban Clan during the period of vacancy.
Accordingly, the meeting unanimously resolved to dissociate the Village Heads from the pending court action, as well as from all claims, representations and reliefs sought in the suit on behalf of the Ikot Ekpene Urban Clan Council.
As part of the resolutions adopted, the Village Heads passed a vote of confidence on the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Bassey Eno, PhD; the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Rt. Hon. Frank Archibong; and the Executive Chairman of Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area, Hon. Elder Aniefiok Nkom, for what they described as their commitment to peace, due process and the preservation of the sanctity of the traditional institution.
The communiqué concluded by affirming that the resolutions reached at the meeting constitute the authentic and collective position of the Village Heads of Ikot Ekpene Urban Clan on both the succession process and the pending litigation.
It was endorsed by the Village Heads representing the constituent villages of the Urban Clan, who reiterated their commitment to unity, lawful authority, peaceful coexistence and the orderly emergence of a new Clan Head in accordance with established traditional customs and government directives.