Further to the enacted of the Native Court Proclamation of 1902 which abolished the titles of Edidem or King and Etenyin or Father of all and the confirmed the establishment of two ‘Obongs amongt the Efik people, this tetchy issue came up in 1964 and warranted an interpretation by A.K.Hart. I have provided an excerpt here for your reading.
(Excerpts from the 1964 A.K.Hart report of the enquiry into the dispute over the Obongship of Calabar). Page 99
“A second implication of Article 3 and 4 is that the right to the Obongship of every free Efik family was recognised and the Etuboms of each of these various units became eligible for appointment as Obong. All these were agreed at the enquiry that these rights exist and should be shared as provided in these articles.
I have shown in the study of Efik social and political systems how the right to kingship of the various Efik towns or families is justified in tradition.
The agitation which led to the enactment of these rules in 1902 was the last successful blow dealt with by other Efik families on the enforced superiority of the Okoho and Eyo groups of families, a superiority which was largely engineered and supported by European traders.
The Efik Royal Fraternity, who appear to be the greatest of the Efik traditionalists, fully accept the implications of Article 3 and 4. The Obong’s Cabinet also accept them-factions supporting the Cabinet have in fact indicated their preference for Etubom David Henshaw of Henshaw Town as a candidate for the Obongship of Calabar. In some circles, this Etubom was regarded as the Obong elect.
This choice of Etubom David Henshaw shows that the Efiks are willing to accept a person from a family outside the Okoho groups as Obong in accordance with provisions of the Proclamation.
In Creek Town both the Etuboms Council there and Western Calabar Chiefs Council accept the provisions of Article 3 and 4 of the Proclamation. Although no other families than the Eyo and Okoho groups have produced Obongs since the enactment of the 1902 Rules, yet the right of these others to produce an Obong has received general acceptance in principle and has formed part of the tradition of the Efiks.
Esien Eniang Esien of Obom-Itiat, Ikoneto was elected as Obong of Creek Town on 14th October by the Etuboms of Creek Town area; but those who objected to the election and successfully protested agaist it did not object because he was not from the Eyo group of families, but because he was , according to them, a non-Efik of Ekoi extraction. If he were acknowledged to be a true Efik, and if his election as Obong was done by those who were deemed to be proper persons, he would have been accepted as the Obong of Creek Town.
Etubom Edem Ekpenyong Oku stood election for the Obongship with Etubom Ekpenyong Efiok Asama Ekpenyong Efiok Eyo Honesty VIII. If Etubom Edem Ekpenyong Oku had won that election he would have been Obong, although an Etubom of Mbarakom.
From the foregoing, therefore, it is my opinion that it is now part of of the generally accepted body of tradition that every free Efik family has a right to the Obongship”
Source: A.K.Hart report into the Obongship dsipute of 1964