+HOW 2 MILLION NAIRA ‘KOLA’ STARTED A WAR IN ASABA
As you read this, all is not well at the Association of Movie Producers, AMP.
On Saturday August 29, 2020, the body recorded its presence in the halls of political infamy as it produced two Presidents to succeed Mr. Ralph Nwadike.
While one President, Mr. Myke Parish Ajaere was elected in Lagos, Ms Peace Anyiam-Osigwe was elected for the same position 8 hours later in Asaba, Delta State.
Since Saturday, the two ‘Presidents’ have been basking in the euphoria of their victories, while their supporters have been fighting dirty on social media.
In The Beginning
Thebladengr.com gathered that all was going smoothly with the proposed national election of the body, before the peace was shattered late Wednesday, by a petition written by the Myke Parish Ajaere team, seeking the postponement of the election.
Before the petition arrived the table of the outgoing National Executive Committee that night, both Peace Anyiam-Osigwe and Myke Parish, had undergone screening by the AMP Electoral Committee, AMPEC, led by producer and veteran actor, Sony Macdon-W.
The AMPEC told this medium, that all the aspirants underwent the screening and signed the papers as requested by AMPEC as proof that they were satisfied with the screening and had agreed to submit themselves to AMPEC and the election.
“Every candidate”, AMPEC told us, “knew the venue of the election was Asaba in Delta State and had visited Asaba for logistics and other issues”.
Trouble
While AMPEC and the team of Ms Anyiam Osigwe believe that everyone was duly informed of the venue of the election, Team Myke Parish disagrees.
Director-General of the Myke Parish campaign, Mr. Mike Nliam told our reporter that “AMPEC and the AMPNEC held the venue to their chest and were running the election in secrecy”.
Said Nliam, ” We were only informed of the venue less than 24 hours to the election. You will agree with me that you cant plan to move a team to that distance in such short notice.
Asked why they sent an advance team to arrange logistics at Asaba only to back out at the last minute, Nliam said, “AMPNEC lied to you. The so called ” team” is Ralph Nwadike. He alone was the team. We didnt send anybody anywhere. I am the DG of our campaign, at least I should have known if we sent someone to Asaba as advance party”.
Why AMPEC Did Not Postpone The Election
The Electoral body said it had on Wednesday night, released list of screened candidates for the Asaba election and also released the Hotel venue/address for the election
The body said it was therefore surprised by midnight of Thursday when Team Ajaere requested for postponement of the election “around 10pm, when AMPEC has booked for hotel, paid for venue, booked for transportation and even had the Chairman of AMP BOT, Chief Zeb Ejiro, OON, as well as AMP President, Ralph Nwadike on ground in Asaba. “Most especially”, our source said, AMPNEC, had informed the Government of Delta State of the election and a visit to the Governor had been approved”.
The electoral body said the only state that wrote they will not be attending was Kogi while Kano State chapter called in that they will not make it.
The ‘President’ In Lagos
The Myke Parish Ajaere team that petitioned AMPEC to postpone the election for at least one week, curiously assembled in Lagos early Saturday to elect officers of the body.
By midday, of Saturday, the delegates in Asaba had known that a new exco had emerged in Lagos.
Director-General of the Peace Anyiam Osigwe campaign, Mr. Emmanuel Oguguah, told thebladengr.com that they “were not perturbed by the Lagos election. That was a charade. You submitted yourself to AMPEC on Wednesday, signed all papers to follow the rules, only for you to organise your own election. Help me ask them: AMPEC was in Asaba, the whole NEC of AMP(except the former secretary Rose) was in Asaba. BoT Chairman was in Asaba as well as over 16 states chapter-members. Even the Film Censors Board DG who came to observe was in Asaba, so who was at that election in Lagos? “, Oguguah queried.
He continued: “We were busy grooming our candidates for manifesto, questions and answers session and possibly debate in the early afternoon of Friday when we heard rumours that Myke’s team will not attend,
I dismissed it as rumours, since the chairman of our BOT had arrived on Thursday morning and was in the same team led by the National President, Ralph Nwadike to visit the Governor of the state to thank him for hosting and even visiting the film village site being built for our industry.
I became sure the more when Zeb Ejiro addressed delegates that had arrived for the election in front of Vienna Hotel, DBS Road Asaba. The Commissioner for Culture and Tourism as well as the outgoing President also addressed us. Now, where do you think the action was?”
The Curious Role of NVFCB DG
One issue still resonating in the imbroglio is the role played by Alhaji Adedayo Thomas, the Director General of the National Video and Films Censors Board, NVFCB, in the whole saga. DG of Team Ajaere, Mr. Mike Nliam pointedly accused him of implementing a government agenda at the AMP election. Nliam told us, “part of why we did not go to Asaba is because we have read the whole movement as Government plot. They just wanted us there to lend credit to their agenda. I make bold to say that Government bankrolled that thing”.
Another prominent producer who was in Asaba last Saturday said he suspected that the AMP election was more of “Government’s way to decide who will control the film fund which we hear is coming. They need their people at the helm.
Those who were in Asaba said the NVFCB DG had even held Chief Zeb Ejiro hostage, when the Delta State-born Ejiro was not willing to endorse the Asaba election. Ejiro we hear, had cautioned on going into the election with the petition of Team Ajaere still pending. When we contacted the man popularly known in the industry to confirm the story, he had told us that his role, “is to play guardian to the association, not to talk about the divisions “.
About A ‘Directionless Paper’ Called AMP Constitution
Thebladengr.com can inform that the Constitution of AMP, is one of the world’s most direction-less laws ever made. For instance, nowhere is the issue of election and how it should be conducted mentioned in AMP Constitution.
Earlier, the Team Ajaere had alleged that Anyiam-Osigwe was not eligible for the election since she had abandoned the association after serving as Vice President nine years ago only to resurface a few months to the election. Curiously, the AMP Constitution has nothing about the issue. Team Anyiam-Osigwe maintains that she’s more qualified, having served as the association’s number two person above Ajaere whom they claim joined less than a year ago.
Again, the issue of whether Ralph Nwadike whose tenure elapsed since last year was competent to organise an election was raised only to be quashed by a defective constitution which says nothing about what happens at the end of a tenure.
The same also goes for venue of the election. The Ajaere camp had made a song and dance that the election could only be held at the national Secretariat but AMP Constitution was again silent on the matter.
Curiously, the overly defective law of the association is filed at the Corporate Affairs Commission.
How Governor Okowa’s N2 Million ‘Kola’ Almost Caused War In Asaba
Away from the politicking, thebladengr.com can report that things almost took an ugly turn in Asaba last Friday, on the eve of the AMP election. We learnt that some prominent members of AMP had gone to visit Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa to intimate him of the election holding the next day and to thank him for the Film Village he has built in Asaba.
According to tradition, the Governor had presented Kolanut and backed it with N2 million cash. Such money, was meant for only the people on such entourage.
We however learnt that the sharing formula had irked the Chairman of the Delta State chapter of AMP as well as his members. They insisted that the local chapter deserved a share of the ‘loot’ especially as their Chairman was not carried along.
Peace Cometh In The Morning
Just when the ‘Kola’ was about to lead to heavy fracas, we were told that some elders rose to the occasion and calmed frayed nerves.
Similarly, thebladengr.com gathered on Tuesday that already, moves are afoot to settle the issue of the two presidents. Insiders told us that a private meeting of the two presidents will hold tomorrow Wednesday at an undisclosed location in Lagos. The conveners of the meeting hope it will douse the tension created in AMP since Saturday.
