‘Dennis Okwu Disenfranchised Self’ – ASECO

BY GBOGBOWA GBOWA

The electoral organ of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Association Electoral Committee (ASECO) has debunked claims by Dennis Okwu, a Port Harcourt based aggrieved candidate in the ongoing election exercise that ASECO and others he listed their names in an online publication were working to deny him participation in the upcoming Board of Trustees (BoT) election.

A source in ASECO who asked not to have his identity mentioned because he was not authorized to speak on the matter, said contrary to allegations, it is Dennis Okwu that disenfranchised himself in the exercise, and advised the complainant to show decorum in a public space and stop displaying like a bull in a China shop.

Dennis Okwu in the said publication captioned ‘ANLCA BoT Election, Fresh Crisis Looms Over Alleged Plot To Disenfranchise Dennis Okwu’ has alleged a clandestine plan people he dubbed the  ‘Nine Billionaires’ who are purportedly engaged in plot to prevent him from contesting forthcoming ANLCA BoT Election that has been rescheduled for September.

Okwu who reportedly in a media chat claimed on one hand that ANLCA has been hijacked by one family, at the same time fingered the Group-of-Nine like-minds for attempting to stop him from contesting the board election after the payment of N1.5 million for the nomination form.

Okwu threatened to put a knife in the atmosphere of prevailing peace in the association if ASECO refused to accept the submission of his expression of interest form, believed to have failed to meet the timetable for submission in line with the electoral rules and guidelines.

His words “Let me tell you, some people feel they are the only ones that are supposed to be in ANLCA. During the last NECOM election, many things went wrong but because we want ANLCA to speak with one voice, we didn’t go to court to challenge the election.

“Personally, I have 1000 reasons to go to court, but I said no, for peace to reign. Some of us should be commended for that, but instead what we are seeing now, is an ANLCA that has been hijacked by one family.

“ANLCA is in comatose and we suppose to know what is happening in ANLCA. Let Emenike Nwokeoji, the ANLCA National president come and tell us what he has done in ANLCA for almost one year now. We want to see his scorecard. ANLCA that has been hijacked by Earnest Elochukwu and his family, the national president is there as a puppet to Elochukwu’s family.”

Okwu claimed that whereas he purchased his nomination form early those he alleged are orchestrating his disenfranchisement prevailed on  an unnamed ASECO member that was supposed to give him the Form  in Port Harcourt from doing so, and insisted he should collect the Form in Lagos.

This is even as he further claimed that he wrote a letter to the ASECO Chairman notifying him of the reasons and delay in submitting his nomination form, claiming that the said letter was received before the deadline.

He said, “ASECO Chairman, Mr Obiora Elochukwu and the ANLCA National president Mr Emenike Nwokeoji should deny  receiving the letter.”

Incidentally, while admitting that he delivered his form to ASECO Office four days behind schedule through DHL, he faulted ASECO for refusing to collect the form, arguing that since the election has been shifted following the hunger protest, the electoral umpire should have extended the time lime to allow those couldn’t meet up with the set time frame to submit their nomination forms; hence he went to court.

“That was why I went to court. That would open up another floodgate of litigation, I am assuring them of that. Who is afraid of Chief Dennis Okwu? Yes, I ask, who is afraid of Dennis Okwu?”, he reportedly fumed as he picked quarrels with persons he imagined shouldn’t be in the board election race.

He continued: “We are all joiners in this association, nobody or group of persons should intimidate or stampede others into submission. I therefore enjoined all relevant authorities and stakeholders to prevail on the ASECO to ensure a level playing ground for every contestant in the election so as to enshrine true democratic norms of equity, justice and fair play in the Association.”

But reacting an authoritative and dependable ASECO insider noted that Okwu is simply wiping up unnecessary sentiments, describing Okwu’s posturing as false and misleading.

“Nobody is trying to disenfranchise Dennis Okwu. Dennis Okwu sent for nomination form a day before the closure of collection of forms. Instead of him to fly to Lagos, pick, fill the form and submit immediately, he contacted somebody in Lagos to send the form to him by DHL, in the process the date for the collection and submission of forms elapsed, that was even despite that we extended the time. The initial date was extended for about three days or more to accommodate more people. It was a day before the date of closure within the extended period that he picked the form, and rather than hurry to conclude the process in view of the exigency of time, he asked that the form be couriered to him in Port Harcourt via DHL. Sadly the form didn’t get to him before the closure of submission.

“Sensing that he was running against time he now wrote a protest letter that the form be collected from him. Now he was not the only one, there were two others, making three. When the protest got to our notice, we reasoned that whatever makes us collect the form from him must also be extended to the two others, because ASECO has rejected three forms for arriving late, including his own. We must comply with rules and guidelines; we must allow ASECO to do its job.

“This is what happened but Dennis Okwu felt he can have his way and felt he could manipulate ASECO and or blackmail those he doesn’t like their faces. If he was interested in picking the nomination form, he had all the time to do so, the sales of form was on for three weeks in line with ASECO timetable, he didn’t act within the time frame and waited until the end so that he can make trouble. “There are candidates who picked, filled and submitted their forms through friends and through third party. It doesn’t take too much, a telephone conversation is sufficient, the person reads what’s on the form and you supply the answers, your CAC number, address, affix passport photograph etc, and submit your form, no big deal at all.”

He continued: “When ASECO postponed the date of the election because of the planned nationwide hunger protest, he called our former board chairman, Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha to say since ASECO has postponed the election, it should allow for the submission of the nomination form to also allow others who are willing to buy forms so that ASECO can make more money. Mustapha told him only ASECO sets the rules and determine the processes and procedures.  He also replied him that the election is not about revenue making, and advised him that opening up further submission of form would create unending requests and lead to trouble, because people will always refer to the earlier concession.

“He was still not satisfied and asked Alhaji to talk with the National President, talk with ASECO Chairman to give him a soft landing, and Alhaji said okay, sensing he was not willing to listen to wise counsel. Electoral processes are meant to be respected and we told Mustapha “but you know the rules must be applied evenly and respected.” He said yes, and that ended the discussion. Do you know what happened after that? Alhaji sent him a voice message to say ‘Please Dennis, this thing has closed, let us leave it. There is always another time, NECOM election will come up in another three years, before you know it, another BoT election will also come, wait for the next one; play the father figure for this period.

“He replied him the following morning and said “thank you for your unsolicited advice. You people should be prepared for another crisis.” So you see how Dennis Ukwu has been carrying on as though he is the owner of ANLCA. He was acting like the ASECO Chairman was someone he could summon to his office to do as he wish, is he the one feeding him?”

“That was the same attitude he put up during the NECOM election, talking to people anyhow, telling chapter chairmen in the eastern zone they should all come for breakfast in his office, and that whoever doesn’t come is doing so at his own risk, can you imagine! Alhaji told him to go and do whatever he thinks he want to do. Let him come out and fault this position”, the ASECO insider challenged Okwu.

When contacted for his reaction, Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha declined to dwell on the matter saying it would be inappropriate to join issues with Okwu, since he is contesting the board membership ticket that the former is raising issues about.

“But regarding his plea with me to intervene on his behave, let me say l am not in a position to tell ASECO what to do. Even in normal advise, there is a limit anyone can go, ASECO is the electoral authority and is independent.

“ l can also tell you that after contacting me to put in words on his behalf to ASECO and afterwards rebuffed me, he still went ahead to contact the customs consultative committee chairman, Aare Hakeem Olarewaju , he too gave him the same advise that he should cool down and allow peace to reign. But he repudiated Hakeem’s advice as well”, he revealed.