Afigh Iwaad Ekid crisis deepens as aspirants reject imposition of Willie Mbong as President General
By 𝘼𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙢 𝘼𝙗𝙞𝙖.
Contrary to online news report that stakeholders of Afigh Iwaad Ekid has unanimously appointed Iwaad Willie Mbong as consensus 10th President of the socio-cultural Organization, thereby putting an end to the lingering crisis bedevilling the group, indication has emerged that the organization is millions of miles away from the shore of peace.
It was widely reported in the social media on friday August 9, 2024, that Captain Willie Mbong has been appointed as the 10th President General of Afigh Iwaad Ekid by stakeholders of the group at the country home of the Commissioner for Local Governmentand Chieftaincy Affairs, Mkpisong Frank Archibong, on a consensus module, with the consent of all other aspirants.
The report had stated that those who were in the stakeholders meeting included, Mkpisong Frank Archibong, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs; Dr Samuel Udonsak, National President of EPU; Rt Hon Pat Ifon, immediate past member of the House of Representatives, Eket Federal Constituency; Rt Hon David Lawrence, immediate past member of the State House of Assembly; Pastor Isaiah Abia and aspirants gunning for Afigh Iwaad presidency among others.
But Barrister Ephraim Enembong, an aspirant for the position has come out clean to disparage the report, stating that,
“The publication is misleading, there is no consensus to the office of the president General of Afigh Iwaad Ekid election that is yet to be conducted. The report is demeaning, false and confusing. The reporters ought to have balanced their story. I demand that the purveyors of the story immediately retract the publication”.
Narrating what transpired on the said day, Barrister Enembong said,
“I had a call on Friday, the 9th of August 2024 from Iwaad Willie Mbong’s sponsor and campaign manager, Pastor Isaiah Abia at about 6:45pm, urging that my attention was urgently needed at the commissioner’s place, Hon frank Archibong, that the commissioner has a message for me, that I should be there in less than fifteen minutes.
“Before his call became spent, he asked me to get a confirmation by speaking to Dr Samuel Udonsak, who promptly confirmed Isaiah Abia’s message through Isaiah’s phone. When I heard from Dr Samuel Udonsak, being the Ekid People’s Union President, I pleaded to be given 30 minutes to arrive at the commissioner’s place”, Enembong said.
Explaining further, Barrister Enembong said when he arrived at the commissioner’s place, he was dumfounded “when Mr President (Dr Udonsak) began talking about Afigh Iwaad Ekid Presidency.
“According to him, the stakeholders have decided that Willie Mbong and his cronies be appointed as President and other Executives of Afigh Iwaad Ekid without recourse to any further election.
“At this point, I saw a complete divergent but aggregated conformity to what has kept Afigh Iwaad Ekid dormant and perpetually in court for many years, often orchestrated by Pastor Isaiah Abia with plans to adjunct Afigh Iwaad Ekid as a wing of a political party,” he said.
Barrister Ephraim Enembong said further that when Dr Udonsak sought for his response to the attempted 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 in place of conducting an election as stipulated by Afigh Iwaad constitution, he told them that he believes in doing the right thing and that he has a campaign group and supporters who assisted him in traversing the entire branches of the organization both within the State and in the United States of America, campaigning for the position of the President, and that the right thing is for him to get back to his campaign team and supporters, adding that his position was agreed by the people he met in the commissioner’s house.
“When and how then did I endorse or anybody made the purported endorsement of the said candidate?. There was never such endorsement made.
“It’s pertinent to mention here that I went back to my supporters and our campaign organization 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙍𝙀𝘽𝙄𝙍𝙏𝙃 𝙂𝙍𝙊𝙐𝙋 and informed them of what transpired at the commissioner’s place, to which the group totally rejected the purported attempt of imposition of any candidate other than through election by members as contained in the Afigh Iwaad constitution”.
Reacting further, the legal practitioner said his campaign organization and teeming supporters are of the firm resolve to have a peaceful, credible and fair election that will elect the Executives of Afigh Iwaad Ekid.
“It was surprising to me that at about 7pm on the 10th of August 2024, I saw an online publication by one 𝙅𝙞𝙣𝙭 𝘽𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙧 alleging that I was in support of a purported endorsement of one Willie Mbong as the president of Afigh Iwaad Ekid, the same position I am contesting for. I state here that the publication is false and defamatory to my person”, he concluded.
The Honourable Commissioner for Local Government and chieftaincy Affairs, Mkpisong Frank Archibong could not be reached as of time of filling this report as he did not pick calls directed to his mobile phone or respond to text messages.
“What is wrong in conducting election as stipulated by the constitution of Afigh Iwaad Ekid, for peace to reign”, asked a youth leader from Onna, who craved anonymity.
