Findings by Shipping Position Daily have revealed that it has been 228 days since the National Executive Committee (NECOM) of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) was elected, yet the body has failed to conduct subsequent board and chapter elections, despite directives from the Customs Consultative Council (CCC) to do so within one month after its election.
Shipping Position Daily recalls that the impasse deepened with the resignation of the Chairman of the Association Electoral Committee (ASECO), Chief Nze Alloy Igwe who stepped down due to alleged frustrations caused by NECOM’s reluctance to set a date for these crucial elections.
Our correspondent gathered that the resignation underscores the growing internal conflicts and operational paralysis within the ANLCA.
Recall that in March, the President of ANLCA, Mr. Emenike Nwokeoji had in a chat with our correspondent cited financial constraints and non-cooperation from former Board of Trustees (BoT) members as reasons for the delay in elections.
He had alleged that some former BoT members withheld their signatures needed to regularize the accounts, a key step in organizing the elections.
Nwokeoji had assured stakeholders that the elections would commence before the end of the previous month. “We have taken that challenge upon ourselves, because if it goes beyond now, it would look as if it is a deliberate action. We are going to do all within our powers to ensure that the elections are flagged-off before the end of this month,” he assured.
However, a month has passed since he gave the assurance, and not only has there been no progress in announcing a new ASECO chairman, but insinuations are also growing that the delay may be a deliberate attempt by NECOM to avoid conducting elections into the board and the chapters.
In a chat with our correspondent, Dr. Kayode Farinto, a former acting President of the association who contested against Nwokeoji, criticized the current NECOM for not adhering to an agreement facilitated by the Customs Consultative Council, which mandated that elections into the board be held one month after the NECOM election.
“There’s nothing anybody can do to me. I have seen it all. I said I’m on sabbatical leave when it comes to ANLCA issues. ANLCA has done me very well. It’s very, very unfortunate. But don’t forget, as what we call a disinclination, I keep saying this, this was not our plan. And this was not even our agreement with the CCC. The CCC, I remember, said we must conduct election of the board one month after the NECOM election. The NECOM election has been conducted. It is not as if somebody like me went to court. I never went to court. I congratulated you. Or is it that this NECOM has not found its feet. So, something is wrong with that”, Dr. Farinto lamented.
Speaking also in a chat with our correspondent an elder stateman in the association who pleaded anonymity, lamented the delay stating that he has met with the President to discuss how to expedite the election into the board and chapters, he also blamed lack of funds for the delay.
“This is not an issue of tribe, ANLCA is one, I have met with the President, yes people actually knew where I stood during the election, but the election is over; we are one big family, so we met with the President, as Igbo leaders and we talked about this issue, it is not deliberate that he doesn’t want to conduct election, but where are the funds, but from our discussion with him the election will be conducted soonest; in fact I can inform you that a new ASECO chairman has been appointed and sent a letter, so there is no cause for division, we are one big family” he said.
In response to the mounting criticism, Mr. Emmanuel Onyeme, the National Publicity Secretary of ANLCA, attributed the delays to scheduling conflicts caused by public holidays such as the Sallah and Easter breaks, which prevented the NEC from meeting to fix an election date. He reassured that a date for the NEC meeting would be fixed soon, and election dates will be rolled-out.
