In a recent development, one of the leading aspirants for the position of President of the Afigh Iwaad Ekid community, Barr. Ephraim Enembong, has strongly opposed any attempt to impose a candidate for the presidency. He emphasized that there are no arrangements to adopt any aspirant as a consensus candidate in the upcoming election of this socio-cultural organization representing the Ekid people.
In a protest letter made available to journalists in Uyo on Sunday, Barr. Enembong refuted rumors circulating on social media that Willie Mbong had been adopted as the consensus candidate. He described these reports as entirely false and baseless, criticizing the spread of misinformation without proper verification.
Barr. Enembong stated, “The consensus plan is merely an attempt to undermine the autonomy of Afigh Iwaad Ekid and mislead the public. Such a plan will not take place in this esteemed socio-cultural organization of the Ekid people.”
He further called on those spreading misleading information to retract their statements immediately, to avoid confusion during the ongoing election campaigns within the organization.
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In his protest letter, Barr. Enembong recounted an incident on August 9th, 2024, when he was summoned to a meeting at the home of Hon. Frank Archibong, the Commissioner, where it was alleged that a decision had been made to appoint Willie Mbong as the President of Afigh Iwaad Ekid without an election. He expressed his surprise at the meeting, stating, “I was shocked when the President of the Ekid People’s Union began discussing the Afigh Iwaad Ekid presidency, claiming that stakeholders had decided to appoint Willie Mbong and his associates without further elections.”
Barr. Enembong reaffirmed his commitment to preserving the cultural heritage of the Ekid people, resisting any attempts by political parties to influence the socio-cultural organization’s leadership.
He also referenced a previous communique from the socio-cultural organization, dated January 12th, 2024, which stated that the Ekid stakeholders would constitute an electoral commission to conduct free and open elections for the next 10th Executive Council of Afigh Iwaad Ekid. The communique emphasized that any person qualified and willing to contest should be allowed to do so without restrictions.
Barr. Enembong expressed his dismay at an online publication by Jinx Breaker on August 10th, 2024, which falsely claimed that he supported the endorsement of Willie Mbong as the President of Afigh Iwaad Ekid. He stated unequivocally, “This publication is false and defamatory to my character.”
