by crossriverwatch admin
His Royal Highness, Muri Effiong Mbukpa, the paramount Ruler of Calabar South has declared that he is still the Muri Munene of Efut Kingdom, because the judgement by the Calabar High Court on Wednesday did not address the issues he took to the court.
He said he did not put himself in the position of Muri Munene but the people and so the government cannot choose a Muri Munene for the Efut people who voluntarily selected him as the Muri Munene.
“The ruling of Wednesday, 25th September did not address the issues which we took to the court so I remain the Muri Munene of Efut nation and I cannot be shaken”
He said he has appealed against the ruling following the advice of his lawyer and attributed the travails of the Muri Munene stool in the past five years to politics.
“They know the truth but because of politics they have not allowed the truth to prevail and some legal officers have allowed themselves to be used by the politicians and are making a caricature of the Court which is supposed to be the last hope of the common man”.
In his notice of Appeal, Muri Effiong Mbukpa raised seven issues which make him dissatisfied with the ruling delivered by Justice Elias Abua on the 25th of September, 2013. According to him, the trial judge erred in law by raising the issue of Affidavit of Service without asking the counsel on both sides to address on the issue.
“It is the duty of Court to ask counsel on both sides to address on any issue raised suo moto”
In the notice of Appeal, Mbukpa said the action of Justice Abua affected his right of fair hearing as the Applicant and therefore the decision is a nullity.
He also stated that the approval of the governor of Cross River State to fill the vacant seat of the Muri Munene of Efut is contrary to pending suit in the Calabar High Court HC/210/2011 and HC/304/2010 against the exercise of the selection of another Muri Munene of the Efuts.
“That the decision to carry out an exercise to fill the alleged vacant stool amounts to usurping the functions of the Efuts”.
He sought in the Appeal for the judgment of 25th September, 2013 to be set aside and in its place, the interference of the judicial process by government by carrying out any exercise to select Muri Munene when there are pending cases in Court.
follow us on twitter @crossriverwatch
Leave feedback about this