Before you do anything drastic I went through the same issue a couple of years ago in this thread. It turns out that the wiring to the backrest motor was broken by the zip tie in the circled area. I validated this by applying power via a needle to the wire after the suspected break.

 

I converted a pair of sport seats to 12 way electric a few years ago and it's best to completely remove the foam in order to access the motor.

 

It appears that the foam is glued to the frame...is there any secret to its removal...

 

There's no real secret. Start with the back of the headrest and work slowly on a small section at a time until you have it all separated.
Use a contact adhesive on both surfaces when refitting.