The embattled National President of Association of Nigerian Licensed Custom Agents(ANLCA); Mr Tony Nwabunike has waved the olive branch to aggrieved members of the association who have declared that they no longer recognised him as their president.
He told Shipping Position Daily via the telephone yesterday, that he was ready to discuss their grievances, even as he declared that he had no favourite between the duo of Chief Henry Njoku and Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha, both of whom have been laying claims to the chairmanship of the Board of Trustees of the association.
Nwabunike who put a call through to one of our correspondents, confirmed that a meeting of the association’s National Executive Committee (NECOM) will soon hold and that issues surrounding the BoT crises would all be resolved.
“We will sort out the problems at the NECOM meeting. I have no favourite among the two of them. I have not endorsed or expressed support for either of them. If anyone says so, it is a lie”, he explained.
Referring specifically to the controversy over who the rightful BoT chairman is, Nwabunike said, “they will conduct their elections, and whoever wins, I will support, they are all my members”.
He however counseled that the aggrieved parties should stop heating up the association, even as he assured that ANLCA was in safe in his hands.
Recall that, a new faction of the association emerged; with nine chapters under the Western Zone of the headed by its Zonal Coordinator declaring that it would no longer recognise Mr Tony Nwabunike as its national president.
This position was stated in a press release signed by the Zonal Coordinator; Sir John Oforbike and the Secretary, Bayo Oyekagun.
It was also signed by all the chapters in the western zone namely; Apapa port, Tin Can Island, Murtala Mohammed Airport, Seme border, Idiroko, Kirikiri Lighter Terminal and PTML chapter.
The group blamed their pulling out on the inability of Mr. Tony Nwabunike to resolve the crisis that has engulfed the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the association.
They subsequently resolved that they would no longer participate in any activity in ANLCA called by Tony Nwabunike.
The faction also resolved henceforth to recognize Mr Emenike Nwokeoji as the President of ANLCA.
Emenike contested elections against Nwabunike in March 2018 at Enugu State and lost by only three votes.
Shipping Position Daily recalls that a chat with journalist in Lagos last week, ANLCA National President, had declared support for the Henry Njoku-led faction of the ANLCA.
Subsequently, the new ANLCA faction stated that "In view of the recent media declaration by Mr Tony Iju Nwabunike on the Board of Trustees issue, we hereby resolve and declare that we shall no longer recognize him as the President of ANLCA until the final determination of the case filed against him challenging his purported victory in the last NECOM election"
"Mr Tony Iju Nwabunike’s refusal to recognize the outcome of the election that produced Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha is tantamount to standing truth on its head", the faction said.
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