…Hails simultaneous voting across ANLCA zones
The immediate past Sole Administrator and Board of Trustees hopeful for the forthcoming Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents BoT election, Otunba Abdulazeez Babatunde Mukaila has said that the Association Electoral Commission, ASECO was on the right track to give the association a credible election.
Mukaila who expressed his confidence in the election body in a chat with newsmen in Lagos recently, also said that he had no doubt in his mind that both the contestants and the election umpire would play according to the rules in order to have a peaceful, credible and acceptable BoT election.
Insisting that his voice would be heard loud and clear in the election, he maintained that what he had going for him was that ANLCA had a structure for election purposes which he said the current ASECO was going to build on.
“But where I need to make some comments as an aspirant, where I need to ask for an explanation, I want to let you people know that I won’t shy away from doing that. But so far so good, it has been going well”, he stated.
Speaking on simultaneous voting across the three zones in ANLCA as adopted by the National Executive Committee, NEC meeting held recently in Lagos, Mukaila who is also the immediate past National Secretary of ANLCA described it as laudable even as he gave kudos to the National President of the association, Mr. Emenike Nwokeoji for coming up with such a novel idea.
“What that entails is that it is going to make campaigns and electioneering seamless and cost effective. This is because anybody that has sympathy for me as a voter, actually doesn’t need to fly from Kano if ASECO decides to have the election in Lagos. The aspirants should either be on ground at a particular zone or find agents to represent you and your interest so that everybody will be at par.
“So, it’s a very wonderful development which at the NEC meeting, I was able to espouse my acceptance and support.
“Equally, it was agreed that it has to be Directors coming to vote even though some of us kicked against the idea but the majority carried the day. We argued that the constitution of ANLCA clearly stated who should come to the Annual General Meeting. It has to be a nominee of a corporate company members. Of course, in every meeting, the minority will have their say while the majority will have their way. So, we have accepted that as the norm and everybody will abide by it”, he said.
He continued, “If you go to Section 22 subsection (e) 3 where the mode of election is discussed, whereas, a body known as the Association Electoral Commission, ASECO shall have the powers to formulate the procedures for the election. That’s what the constitution says and under attendance for meeting, Section 21 subsection 6(d).
So, some of us felt that the national ID card which is what we know and called the ANLCA Biometric ID card is what the constitution is talking about and once anybody can say I work for Mickey Excellency, and this is my ANLCA ID card which is the biometrics card, that person should be allowed to vote because the company should have actually forwarded a letter for the enrollment of their staff for national ID card and once the card carries their name, that should suffice. But the general house said no, the ASECO guidelines stipulated Directors. That since it is stated clearly, it should be allowed to fly.
“And I put up an argument that allowing the ASECO to formulate the guidelines shouldn’t countermine the provisions of the constitution but at the end of the day it was carried that it has to be Directors in line with ASECO guidelines. So, we want to see an election where the Directors, the emergency NEC resolved that whoever will be representing a corporate license must be a Director, which means that if I am not available, another Director of Mickey Excellency should go there to represent the company. It has to be a Director, not a mere staff.”
Speaking in a situation where the two Directors we’re not available for the election, he said, “That’s why we said that the two Directors might say, we don’t have chance but the opinion of that meeting was that even if it is only 100 Directors that come, they will decide the outcome of the election. So, that was carried as well. So, we look forward to a very good election.
“As I said earlier, my voice will be heard loud and clear and that is the message here. I will make sure that the processes meet the integrity test as it is known over time in ANLCA election processes.”
Photo: Otunba Abdulazeez Babatunde Mukaila, Chairman, Mickey Excellency Nigeria Limited.
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