…Described election as charade
Following the purported election held on Wednesday by the suspended Western Zone executives and a faction of Board of Trustees members led by Alhaji Taiwo Mustpaha, the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLC) has opened a dishour register for five members of the association’s Board of Trustees who participated in the election.
The five BoT members whose names were enlisted in the dishonour register includes; a former National President of the association, Sir Ernest Elochukwu, a former National Vice President of ANLCA, Chief Dennis Okafor, Secretary to the Board, Prince Taiye Oyeniyi, factional Chairman of the Board, Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha and Mr. Dayo David Azeez. The five of them are to remain in that status for a period of five years.
It will be recalled that ANLCA in its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at Abuja on Monday has suspended the Western Zonal Coordinator, Sir John Ofobike, his Secretary and seven chapter Chairmen for their role in seeking to recognize Mr. Emenike Nwokeoji who lost election to the incumbent National President, Chief Tony Iju Nwabunike and for absenting themselves from the NEC meeting without any permission.
Also recall that the suspended persons in association with the BoT faction led by Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha purportedly held election in five chapters of the Western Zone who tenure will expire in few weeks time in Lagos on Wednesday.
Speaking to newsmen in Lagos yesterday on the purported election, the National Vice President of ANLCA, Dr. Kayode Farinto described the election as charade saying that the only body empowered to conduct election in the association is the Association Electoral Committee (ASECO) which was ratified by the NEC even as said that “I am happy that some of you were at the NEC where we ratified the ASECO, made some correction and even gave them vote of confidence.
Farinto however described the roles played the five members of the BoT as inglorious having sworn to uphold the constitution of the association as well as sworn to oath of allegiance even as he observed that anybody that was working contrary to that would definitely face the consequence.
“In view of this, we are opening a dishonour register where names of these five members of BoT will be included. They are; Sir Ernest Elochukwu, who was once a President of ANLCA, Mr. Dayo Azeez, Mr. Mustapha Taiwo, Mr. Dennis Okafor and Prince Taiye Oyeniyi.
“Why are we doing this? Mr. Mustapha was swearing in a parallel ASECO Chairman, we want to know where he has derived his power from because he doesn’t have that power. You will see that for me to swear in all the other administrators that were not sworn in at the NEC, I have to quote the relevant section of the constitution and it is only when I am empowered by the relevant section of this constitution, that is only when I can go ahead and do that not just for ordinary member”, he said.
Farinto who is also the Managing Director of Wealthy Honey Investment Limited while saying that the BoT crisis had been over flogged, blamed the immediate past administration for the meddlesome of the members of the Board of Trustees into the functions of NECOM adding that “the last administration went ahead with them in the day to day running of the association”.
He continued,” It is an aberration, it is very wrong because the BoT will only be heard and not be seen and it is only when we don’t have NECOM that the BoT can be seen but we have NECOM in place and everybody witnessed to the swearing in of our President and the various NECOM members. So, that is why the names of these members will be in the dishonour list for five years”.
He disclosed that a member of the association from the Murtala Mohammed International Airport chapter who took part in the said election on Wednesday had since been suspended by the chapter Chairman, Nze Aloysius Igwe saying that “the beautiful thing about this constitution is that whatever thing that is done at the National level can be done at the chapter. He is the Chief Executive of MMIA, whatever he does there, he will just forward to me and it is put in our register and so be it”.
Explaining what enlisting one’s name in the dishonour register means, the National Vice President said, “You know these are people when they are coming, we give them special respect, we stand up in their honour. You witnessed what happened a while ago, NPS announced my arrival and everybody stood up in honour of me, that kind of privileges will no longer be extended to them. It also means that when we are giving honours, awards to people tomorrow, they are not going to be part of it. It is not part of the punishment but it is in the periphery of what they are going to see.
“When you are talking about somebody who is a former President, who normally command respect before, he’s just being looked down, you know what it means. So, that is why we have created a special register today, the dishonour register”.
Send your news, press releases/articles to augustinenwadinamuo@yahoo.com. Also, follow us on Twitter @ptreporters and on Facebook on facebook.com/primetimereporters or call the editor on 07030661526, 08053908817.
