ANLCA BoT 9-Like-Minds: And The Moral Burden of Apapa Failed Election

BY EGUONO ODJEGBA

The electoral campaigns of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA)that ushered in the incumbent Board of Trustees (BoT), carried a lot of promises, reflecting the respected and dignified personalities of the nine contestants.

The icing on the cake was their collective resolve to campaign and contest as a team under the sobriquet of the nine-like-minds which sounded like a political algorithm and caught up the industry like a raging wild fire of philosophical resonance.

It broke walls and cracked smaller alliances, penetrating political fortresses and producing fresh alignments across various divides.

At the election, the nine-like-minds swept the votes, changing the political permutations and setting a new order of what is to come. A new order of peace and harmony, a new order of live and lets live, a new order of forward looking, pace and grace, and a new order of trust, equity and fairness; akin to a new sense of collective bargaining.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the recent zonal elections nationwide and the inauguration of the newly elected leaders taking place today ordinarily marks the first, major integrity test of the nine-like-mind board members.

An ardent admirer of the nine-like-minds, this reporter like thousands of other industry observers, was full of positive longing that the nine-like-minds populated BoT, would re-assert itself and present a sort of midterm performance report card based on the elections.

Whereas reports of preparation and the conduct of the elections designed on zonal basis and timetable indicated that the BoT was committed and focused; there are concerns that its failure to midwife the election of the Apapa chapter to a conclusive end weighed heavily on the board’s capacity as much on its ability to remain a just and severe arbiter.

Historically, while the western zone remains the bastion of operational and political activity, by extension its Apapa chapter has also served as a buffer, call it a critical nexus, and you’re not far from the truth. Sources informed this reporter that just before the election, dialogue was initiated to get the two chairmanship aspirants to reach some compromises to stave off crisis; especially in the light of an unwritten arrangement between stakeholders that the chairmanship position should rotate between the Yoruba and Igbo.

The sources claimed that whereas the past two dispensations had Igbos onboard, the present  expectation was have the Yoruba’s contest the chairmanship position unchallenged by their Igbo brethren.

According to our source, when it became obvious that a lot of interests wanted Emeka Chukwumalu to assume the leadership because of his personality and grace, a meeting was called where Femi Olawoore was urged to step down. According to the information, Olawoore agreed given the caliber of those involved in the dialogue wherewith he made the demand for the Chuckumalu led team to concede three positions to his team members; minus the chairman and vice chairman positions; which was regarded as a fair compromise.

Intrigues and subterfuge reportedly set in thereafter, as a leading chieftain of the western zone reportedly played the spoiler by demanding a slot in the Chuckumalu Team. The BoT said to be aware of the dialogue failed to step in, with the result that the misunderstanding smouldered and weakened the said dialogue, together with the concessions believed to have been traded.

The impasse lasted until the election, eventually at some point, threatening to engulf the exercise; at which point the BoT Chairman, took charge and declared the Apapa chapter election pending.

According to one of the source, the claim that Olawoore agent single handedly disrupted the progress of the chapter election is false and misleading. If these early signs were true to statement, what were the progressive, elite board members doing?

Were they unconcerned, were they taking sides or just remained aloof? Seriously, one is as unthinkable as the other! If however, the claim that the board members  connived by any stretch of the imagination and contributed to the failure of elections, they must accept the moral burden of failing to live up to their vow to cultivate and nurture hope and restoration, build bridges and understanding, provide quality guidance and  lead by example.

In a confidential conversation with our reporter, one of the sources debunking the claim that a sole agent created problems leading to the suspension of the release of the result of Apapa chapter said, “It is a fabrication. You were not there in the hall. The people who were there in the hall knew what happened. How can ASECO say one man disrupted an election? It’s a lie.

“ASECO have 150 voters list but came up with 141. From that 141, you said accredited voters are 108. When votes were to be counted, you came up with 125. Before you know it, people began to shout. The suspicion that you have doctored it was palpable.’

“Let me tell you while they are accusing Olumide (Fakunle), they are accusing him because he was telling the hierarchy that there is an arrangement of Igbo-Yoruba chairmanship rotation in Apapa and that Igbo have spent their six years.

“Under the arrangement, Emeka shouldn’t have contested. But a former national president is the one causing this problem with his brother, on the basis that their candidate must come in. Good enough they witnessed the rowdiness in that. Were you at the election? Even if you were not, be honest as an adult, can one person disrupt an election process?  They did an election of almost how many chapters…then one person will disrupt a whole command election? It’s just a means to call a dog a bad name in order to hang him.”

The source said ASECO’S claim of fatigue as part of the challenge in getting the election process right is not only a self indictment but a curious attempt to twist the facts.

“The issue is this, in your report, you admitted that what happened was due partly to fatigue. Understand that the admission of fatigue by ASECO is the admission of error in the process. What kind of fatigue is that? At was at that point the board chairman and national president agreed that that election should be rolled up as inconclusive.”

Speaking farther, he hinted that BoT were part of the dialogue to find a way around the standing arrangement of rotation leadership in Apapa chapter.

“When the BoT met, they resolved that we should have a political solution. And the political solution was this, we eventually agreed that we will do harmonization and beg one of the contenders for the chairmanship position to step down…of which we spent hours upon hours doing personal talk before Alawoore agreed on the condition that at least since we have seven positions in the chapter, they should give his followers three positions and they take four, including the chairmanship and the vice. Is that not magnanimous enough?

“Sadly the coordinator working for Emeka (Chukwumalu) later started telling them not to that he should be given a slot. Why ask for a slot when he is not a contender? So he scuttled the political solution, and the BoT kept quiet. People should forget about personal interest and work to move ANLCA forward. Look at  Tin-Can chapter, why didn’t the vice president who is from there say  he too wants a slot.”

He averred that failure by the board and the national to step into the matter through an acceptable political solution would reinvent crisis in the association.

“Now Alawoore has said he will fight, if we really want to solve the problem, we must be serious, and l am talking about the exco and the board. They had a meeting of the western leaders last week where they  agreed about a political solution. If everybody is saying, ‘I am this, I am that, give me a slot…or else’, are we going to resolve this issue?

“And on the ground of ASECO report which they leaked,  if  anyone goes to court, he will get order that will nullify all the election. Instead of sending it to the chairman of the board, Obiora (ASECO Chairman) send it to Emeka who is the chairmanship contender and that one leaked it to the press.

“If care is not taken, if the loser and the person that has already stepped down and the others push for litigation, it will rub off on all the elections done in the western zone. And the West is where the trouble is always starts from.

“We have started putting behind us the issue of tribe and it is good for us; but we must sustain it doing what is politically right at some point in time. In this fight, it is everybody, every everybody is fighting every everybody; it is not Yoruba versus Igbo or Hausa. In both Alawoore and Emeka camps, there are Yorubas, Igbos and others. Did you hear us talking about Igbo, Yoruba or Edo?  No! We are only fighting this cause based on equity. There is need for repair and restoration. It is that restoration we are talking about?”

He opined that only the board has the power to arrest the ongoing disagreement from slipping out of control.

“What is happening to the like-minds of ANALCA?  Is it that they don’t have the vision, or that they cannot perform? We elected the like minds, what is stopping them people from speaking with one voice and speaking the truth? If you want this association to move forward, let everybody forget about their personal interests and repair the wrong in Apapa election now before it gets worse.

“Fairness, equity and justice must be seen in this process. This board of  like minds must prove itself.”