The suspended members of the Association of the Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) have described their suspension as a joke, this is even as they chided the Vice President of the association, Dr, Kayode Farinto, stating that he lacks the locus standing to suspend anyone.
The suspended members argued that only the National Executive Committee (NEC) have the constitutional rights to suspend them from ANLCA.
The affected ANLCA members further stated that their suspension is a direct affront of an earlier court order that the members of the National Executive Committee (NECOM) should stop parading themselves as executives of the association.
Recall that the association had suspended some factional members of the association’s Board of Trustees (BoT); Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha, Prince Taiye Oyeniyi, Dennis Okafor including the National Publicity Secretary Adumaza Joe Sanni, who is a member of the current National Executive Committee (NECOM) of the association for alleged gross misconduct and deliberate assassination of the character of the President and other members of the National Executive Committee.
Reacting to the suspension, secretary of the association’s BoT, Prince Taiye Oyeniyi in a chat with our correspondent laughed-off the importance of the suspension stating that it is not possible for those who have been suspended by the court to suspend members of the association.
He said, “you are aware of the suspension of the NECOM by Justice Kakawa, and Justice Oguntoyinbo restored the board and there is a letter from the Corporate Affairs Commission that there should be no further registration of anybody, so how can somebody that is suspended suspend anybody, is that not madness
“The fact that we want to ensure peace does not mean we are stupid, if a court of competent jurisdiction gave an injunction and somebody said it is fake, has he gone to court to confirm, so I don’t need to waste my time on irrelevant issues, I am an elderly man, a father does not join issues with a stupid son”.
On his part, the former National President of the association and member of the embattled board; Sir Ernest Elochukwu, described the suspension as a joke, while also confirming that the current NECOM has been restrained by the court describing the action as an action against a court judgment.
Elochukwu, although a member of the factional board and one of the voices that have openly criticized the activities of the current NECOM, was however missing on the list of suspended members of the Taiwo Mustapha-led faction.
This is fueling speculatiosn that the former national president may have pitched his tent with the incumbent President; Mr Tony Iju.
However, reacting to the speculation, Elochukwu noted that he is not the only member of the Taiwo Mustapha camped that was not suspended, while stating that there is nothing like decamping to another camp, stressing that he would not allow tyrant to take over the activities in the association.
“Am I the only person that was not suspended? So it means that those that were not so-called suspended are now the de-campers, for the sake of your question, there is nothing to decamp to.
“It doesn’t make sense; the charade that was conducted in Owerri, because what was done in Owerri is a charade and there is no way that charade can stand, so there is nothing to decamp to”.
“You know, prior to this time a lot of people have given the impression that the actions we are taking is because we want to sit tight and people like us have asked to know what is the financial benefit or even any other benefit of being members of board of ANLCA, because I don’t know, I have never seen such benefit, but then when people decide to do things in a manner that they want to ride over others”
On his part, the suspended National Publicity Secretary; Mr Joe Sanni, also stated that the NECOM lacks the power to suspend the senior members of the association, stating that only the National Executive Committee has the constitutional backing to suspend them, he described the action as a display of those who are power drunk.
He explained that since the court injunction restraining the NECOM members from parading themselves as executives, he has stopped every activity attached to that office.
“The issue is that those that are their problem are the ones they are saying they suspended or sack, because for people like us, I can never be in the good books of Tony Iju or Farinto or Mukaila, because I keep lambasting them every time, they are doing the wrong thing, the question I asked the Vice President when I saw the suspension was- if has the locus standi, who is he, to say he is suspending board chairman.
“When the court gave an order that they should not parade themselves as National Officers, so who is he to say he want to suspend another National officer, so their suspension has no meat, it has no impact; it has no value, their suspension does not stop me from writing as former SSA media”, he said.
Also speaking, the Coordinator, Western Zone of ANLCA; Mr. John Oforbike also lampooned the suspension while also describing it as action taken by those who are power drunk.
“I also read it in the media that I have been suspended by the Vice President, he suspended us and some board members and every other person he feels he can remove. Does he have the power, who is he to suspend us, even the so called President cannot even suspend us, not to talk of a spare tyre”, he said.
He is power drunk, it’s unfortunate, sometimes madness starts in many ways; he needs to examine his upstairs and know what is wrong with him, in the first place court has suspended us and asked us not to parade ourselves as executives, based on that I have stopped parading myself as the zonal coordinator and the board that has the responsibility of running the association appointed me as a leader in the West. So Farinto is ranting, it’s very unfortunate that the man has gone haywire”, he said.
