ANLCA Chapter Chairmanship: Tope Akindele’s Mandate Long Walk

From Ballot to Bench: A Mandate Denied, A Constitution Defied

BY EGUONO ODJEGBA

Akindele, middle, at some point during the interlude

 Tope Akindele, fondly known as Ijoba, was elected Chairman of the MMIA Chapter of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) on December 19, 2018. But what should have been a routine transition became a protracted war of legitimacy, marked by court battles, constitutional violations, and political sabotage.

Despite winning the election, Akindele was denied access to office by impostors who colluded with elements of the Nigerian Police. The chapter secretariat was not only shut down for months but more or less occupied by impostors , and Akindele became a man with a mandate but no seat, caught between two pretenders—Prince Adewusi Bamgbala and Bola Ashiru-Balogun.

Akindele’s fight wasn’t just political—it was judicial. In Suit No. BD/3134GCM/2019, Justice Emmanuel Ogundare of the Badagry High Court ruled on February 16, 2021, and again on June 22, 2023, that Akindele must be installed by the constitutionally authorized person—the National President of ANLCA as stipulated in Section 7, Subsection 1(k) of the 2013 ANLCA Constitution.

Again, Akindele’s battle was not just against faceless bureaucracy—it was a three-way power tussle. He was sandwiched between Prince Adewusi Bamgbala and Prince Bola Ashiru, both of whom laid claim to the throne without the legitimacy of election, certificate of return, or swearing-in. But despite that Akindele held all three—yet he was kept at bay; courtesy of the Nigerian Police.

The ANLCA Board of Trustees, led by Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha, and more recently, the National Executive Committee (NECOM) led by Mr. Emenike Nwokeoji, respectively, stood firmly behind Akindele. Their unwavering support—through legal battles, public disclaimers, and strategic pressure, eventually broke the impasse.

Akindele, middle, been celebrated by ‘June 12’ and a female supporter

On April 28, 2025, a decisive disclaimer was issued against Bola Ashiru, stripping him of ANLCA membership and clearing the final hurdle for Akindele’s ascension. On Tuesday, October 7, 2025, the MMIA Chapter erupted in celebration as Akindele finally took office.

During the interlude, Joe Sanni, a radical member and former Media Assistant to Prince Olayiwola Shittu,  in documented presentations noted that the referenced court rulings were never challenged or vacated, yet they were brazenly ignored by the then leadership of ANLCA, particularly Iju Tony Nwabunike and his self-appointed “Acting President” Collins Kayode Farinto, whose defiance of the judiciary became a symbol of institutional impunity; Sanni says.

Sanni in his unrelenting fight to right the wrong, also repeatedly lamented the rise of illegality espoused by the controversial Owerri Constitution and phantom elections. In the vacuum created by defiance of court orders, a wave of unconstitutional acts swept through the MMIA Chapter:

The 2020 Owerri Constitution—never ratified—was used to justify illegal “selections” and “elections” held on February 16, 2021, and January 15, 2022, respectively.

Board Chairman, Mustapha

These acts birthed an EXCO that attempted to extend its tenure to four years, defying the valid 2013 Constitution. At the Abuja Peace Accord of July 19, 2023, Prince Bamgbala Adewusi and his allies insisted on the illegal tenure extension, further deepening the crisis.

In a bid to restore order, the National Executive Committee (NECOM) led by Sir Emenike Kingsley Nwokeoji constituted a panel of inquiry headed by Barr. Emmanuel Chekwube Osonwa. After hearing all parties and reviewing evidence, the panel unequivocally declared Tope Akindele as the constitutionally and legally recognized Chairman.

This verdict led to Akindele’s formal inauguration on April 27, 2024, at the National Secretariat, with his hand publicly raised by BOT Chairman Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha in January 2025 at the MMIA Chapter premises.

But the final assault was to follow with Bola Ashiru’s rogue takeover at the forced exit of Bamgbala Adewusi. Just as peace seemed within reach, Bola Ashiru-Balogun, a former political aspirant, emerged from nowhere to claim the chairmanship. Without election, appointment, or a working team, he brandished a DPP letter/report unknown to NECOM or BOT.

L-R: VP Oduntan and some board members with Alhaji Mummuny , speaking during an occassion

I what appeared like the speed of light, Balogun procured an unauthorized lawyer to swear him in, after reportedly, violently breaking into the MMIA Secretariat, further desecrating the association’s constitution.

His actions, according to Sanni, backed by a dismissed court case, were the final straw in a saga of constitutional vandalism and political recklessness.

Upon finally riding into office amid jubilation by supporters and friends, Akindele’s message was clear and nuanced within the context of the Nwokeoji’s campaign philosophy of restoration:

“We believe that we have lost many things at the chapter, but whatever is lost would be restored… I would make sure that sanity returns to the chapter and to the command in general.”

One of the peace intervention meetings in Lagos with senior members of the association including former NP Chief Ernest Elochukwu (2nd from right), Mustapha, Azzez, Okafor and others

His three-year tenure promises professionalism, inclusivity, and constitutional fidelity—a stark contrast to the chaos of the past. While attempts to get the reaction of Mustapha and Nwokeoji on the development was unsuccessful, ANLCA Vice President, Prince Segun Oduntan expressed gratitude that the locust years andthe  inordinate ambition of some misguided individuals manifested in open rascality has come to an end.

“Well what is there to say but to thank God that truth eventually caught up with the false narratives of those misguided individuals who were been supported by a crop of otherwise serious members of ANLCA. That’s the most painful aspect of the whole saga. But you remeber that this administration’s philosophy is one of total restoration,  l am happy that everything is falling in place”, Oduntan said.

The MMIA Chapter saga is a cautionary tale for ANLCA. The Board of Trustees and NECOM must now summon the political will to conclude the outstanding Apapa Chapter elections, urgently review prevailing concerns and take steps to conduct fresh elections in Abuja Chapter; if need be; and proceed to fill vacant executive positions across chapters, nationwide.

Anything less would amount to a betrayal of justice and a stain on the current ANLCA’s legacy.