Otunba Babatunde Mukaila, a former National Secretary of ANLCA, was dealt a crushing blow on the very day of the recent BoT election. He was disqualified without warning. Yet, in the face of personal hurt and public controversy, he says he has chosen an unexpected path; that of peace, restraint, and reconciliation. In this interview with Oluyinka Onigbinde, he reflects on his pain, the accusations he faced, and his decision to rise above the travails. Instead of seeking court intervention, he speaks about his love for the association and why he’s chosen to prioritize its healing over his own ambition.
How did you feel when you were disqualified at the last minute?
Normally, I feel very bad. That is obvious because I put a lot into the campaign. And when that (disqualification) happens, it’s only very obvious that I should be feeling so bad. Yes, I feel bad.
After the annoyance, what is your next step?
The association is an association I have passion for. I have a record of service over time. And I will still continue to contribute my quota to help the association to continue our journey of healing and reunification that we all yearn for.
Why do you think you were disqualified from participating in the BoT election?
It’s now 11 a.m. on the 18th of September, and up till now, I have not been formally informed why I was disqualified from the election. The closest thing to an explanation came about 12 hours before the election. On the 11th of September around 5:17 p.m, I received a call from the Chairman of ASECO, who informed me that a petition had been filed against me. However, I reminded him that the petition window had closed a day earlier on the 10th of September, according to ASECO’s own guidelines. Despite this, the Chairman sent me the petition, and we met even though it was outside the election guidelines. The allegation was of fraud, claiming that about a month after the NECOM elections, I signed a cheque of ₦387,000, which they said I shouldn’t have signed because there was already a new government in place.
However, I explained to them that every government undergoes a transition period, and I was still the sole administrator of the association at that time. As part of the transitional process, I was responsible for winding down my administration and handing over to the new government. This cheque was signed during that transitional period when I was assisting the secretariat staff with handover duties. On October 3rd, the new government dissolved all organs, and it was on this same day that I paid the salaries of the secretarial staff. Interestingly, this same government, which claims to be unaware of the cheque I signed, had not paid any salaries for September. The cheque I signed was used to pay the staff, so it’s clear that it was a legitimate payment.
Do you think your disqualification could have been because of the speculation that you were a popular candidate and could disrupt the plans of the Group of Nine (G9) members vying for the BoT seats?
There’s a possibility, yes. But my candidacy wasn’t against any group, whether G9 or G10. I was contesting for the office because I believed in serving. As I mentioned earlier in your radio programme, it seems like there was a coordinated effort by some individuals to file petitions against me, going against ASECO’s own guidelines. For ASECO to reopen an already closed petition process and not follow up with me properly after receiving my response raises concerns. It feels like there was a deliberate move to disqualify me. At the Kano election, my name was on the ballot, and people voted for me. It was only in Lagos that my name was removed from the ballot, which indicates some communication between ASECO and certain individuals to remove me at the last minute.
At the heat of this crisis, you were accused of embezzling funds belonging to the association. What do you intend to do about this?
The first arrow about that was when a journalist came up with a story about me embezzling ₦550 million. However, the publisher of that same online journal has issued an apology and pulled down the story. And I’m satisfied with that.
Are there any other allegations against you by the ASECO or the association?
Before the latest development of another allegation of fraud, I got a call from ASECO about 12 hours before the election. And that has been the only one that’s on the table now. Just to put it simply, we know all this is just something that happened out of the control of my own influence. I cannot stop people or a group of people who decided to go that way. But what I can control is my reaction and what will be the benefit of the association afterward. And that’s exactly why I addressed my supporters at the venue, that there shouldn’t be a fight. The process should continue. I believe in the very near future the association will grapple with what actually happened and why this needed to happen at this material time, when the association is still trying to heal.
We were told that you are under pressure to go to court. Is it true?
Whatever decision I need to take right now, or the way I interpret the disqualification itself that happened right there in the hall, is within my control. And I believe that circle of control is what I have to make a decision about. I don’t intend to go to any court. You will recall that in the last five years during the crisis, I did not play from behind. I was leading at the front. In fact, all the arrows and all the tribulations and attacks were against my person. And we stood our ground until ANLCA was able to come back on its feet. So, I’m not going to court. I won’t be going to court.
There are allegations of a cold war between you and your successor. What’s your response to this?
I don’t believe there should be any cold war. I played my part and did my job diligently while in office. My successor is now compiling his own history of service, and he has his years of service ahead of him. I don’t see any reason for tension between us. My goal was always to ensure a smooth transition, and I fulfilled that responsibility.
From the caliber of people who have been elected, nine of them, do you have confidence in their capability to run the board successfully?
They are all qualified members of our great association. And I believe they know exactly what the association needs at this material time. Yes, I have confidence in their capability and I believe they will avoid the pitfall of the past board. And what is that pitfall, which has been my own slogan in all my campaigns towards this election, it is the interpretation and separation of power and functions between the board and the NECOM. And I hope they will do that by not having this borderline function between the president and his team and the chairman of the board and his team. Once that is done, ANLCA will be better for it, and I hope they will do that.
What will you do now?
Time is on our side. The winners of the election, I wish them well. In six years, it will feel like yesterday. I remember 2014 when Henry Njoku came into the board of ANLCA; it’s been almost 10 years now, but it still feels like yesterday. God willing, it’s all about service. I will always work for the betterment of the association, not otherwise.
Some people say you were compelled to accept the disqualification in good faith. What is your take on that?
Nobody can compel me. Everyone knows what I stand for. The reason I’ve chosen this path is that ANLCA is still in a healing process, and I don’t want to be part of anything that takes us back into crisis. As former President Jonathan once said, my interest in serving ANLCA isn’t so important that I’ll contribute to a crisis; it’s unnecessary. The opportunity to serve ANLCA is still there if I so wish and if it presents itself. I will continue to serve because ANLCA is the baseline for my profession, and it helps me privately as a practitioner. That will never change. I am waiting for ASECO to formally notify me of my disqualification, and I look forward to clearing my name. I have committed no fraud. The question was raised because of a cheque I signed while the government was still in transition. All these will be sorted out with the association.
