Members of the Manyemen Traditional Council, made up of youth leaders, king makers, elders, and councillors, petitioned the governor of the South West region, Bernard Okalia Bilai, calling on him to act fast and stop a self-imposed chief from causing further damage to the population.
Hope Sona Ebai was rejected twice by the people of Manyemen, a village in Kupe Muanenguba Division in the South West region. They claimed that Sona Ebai is not, and will never become their traditional ruler, because he was never chosen by the Kingmakers.
They accused the administration of imposing Mr. Ebai on them despite them choosing William Besong as their ruler.
Frustrated by the rejection of the population, Sona Ebia sought the help of the administration which provided him with escorts.
The SDO had even ordered Gendarmes to use weapons against any protester or meeting attendees.
The Traditional Council cried foul, saying there is a systematic plan to silence dissent by using military escorts and hiring of non indegenes to cause mayhem in the village. The Council noted that on May 9, the military accompanied hired thugs to beat and injure protesters who were out to reject self-imposed chief Sona.
