The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents has voted out its chairman; Chief Henry Njoku replacing him with another candidate from the West; Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha.
This decision was taken during a meeting of the board at the weekend ahead of the inauguration of the new executives at Golden Tulip Hotel in Lagos and a subsequent election that held among the eight members that were in attendance.
A message released at the end of the election by Secretary of the Board; Mr Taiye Oyeniyi and obtained exclusively by Shipping Position Daily revealed that members of the new executives of the BoT are: Alhaji Mustapha who emerged as Chairman with 5 votes, Chief Denis Okafor as the Vice Chairman with 5 votes and Prince Taiwo Oyeniyi as Secretary with 5 votes. 2 members stood against and 1 abstained.
According to Oyeniyi, the inaugural resolution of the board was that its leadership will henceforth be rotational on two yearly basis. The board however agreed that Njoku should preside over the handing over ceremony of the newly- elected executives on Saturday.
The newly-elected leadership of the Board is expected to take over the administration of the Board on Sunday 15th April.
Sources within ANLCA however told Shipping Position Daily that crisis is brewing in the association as a fall-out of the last elections which held in March 2018 in Enugu.
The elections saw Tony Nwabunike defeating Emenike Nwokeoji with just three votes to emerge as ANLCA president.
But Shipping Position Daily gathered last week that four members of the Emenike camp who were aggrieved have already headed to court.
Our correspondent also learnt that there was a separate meeting held at the weekend between the Western Zone Secretary and it's Coordinator, John Oforbike. The meeting was allegedly presided over by Mr. Emenike Nwokeoji.
At the end of the meeting, sources told our correspondent that members of ANLCA were not satisfied that Igbos (Easterners) were taking over ANLCA. This was reason for the clamour for the BoT chairman to step down for someone from the West.
The source said that Emenike "was trying to pacify us not to boycott the handing over ceremony and that whatever that is the issue, we should try and sort it”.
Some of the BoT members from the South West also held meeting with the Zonal and the chapter chairmen on Friday to try and break the ice.
A source told our correspondent that: “There is a court case resulting from the outcome of the election and we would see it to a logical end"
"At the same time, we are trying to look at it that we have had an Igbo president, now there should be a change in the board leadership so that it would not seem as if the Igbo's are taking all the positions. The association belongs to all of us", he said.
One of the chapter chairmen told Shipping Position Daily that "they (those who went to court) are feeling cheated and there is need for them to exercise their right".
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