No Leadership Crisis in Abuja ANA Chapter

No Leadership Crisis in Abuja ANA Chapter

Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Abuja has dispelled rumours of leadership crisis in the chapter, maintaining that it is united and stronger than ever.

The chapter insists that it will not allow desperate impostors who are bent on distracting it from achieving its mandate succeed in what it called lost mischievous adventures.

ANA Abuja was reacting to a letter dated January 26, 2021, signed by one Camillus Ukah and Maik Ortserga, self acclaimed National President and General Secretary of the association respectively which announced the appointment of a caretaker committee headed by the immediate past Treasurer of the chapter, Lois Otse Adams, sacking the Halima Usman-led exco.

The letter partly reads, “With the expiration of the tenure of the Halima Usman led Executive Committee of Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) Abuja Branch on April 19, 2020, and the long interregnum occasioned by the outbreak of COVID 19, the chapter has suffered the absence of a legitimate Executive Committee recognized by the Constitution and accepted by the members. This situation has led to a total grounding of literary activities in the said chapter.

“It has therefore become imperative that urgent steps be taken to restore the Chapter to its accustomed vibrant self.

“To this end, the National Executive Committee (NEC) hereby announces the constitution of a Caretaker Committee to oversee the said restoration of order and normalcy. The said Committee will discharge this singular function with the active support of NEC.”

Meanwhile, in a statement issued on Saturday by the Secretary, ANA Abuja, Mr. Eze Collins Ofoma, the chapter expressed shock that a duly elected executive of body of intellectuals could be sacked by a mere letter emanating from a constitutionally unrecognised quarters who masquerade as faces of the national leadership of the Association.

Mr. Ofoma described the action as laughably disappointing and a new low by opportunistic elements to reap where they did not sow.

He said, “We are still in shock as to where the so called national leadership derived the power to sack a duly elected leadership of ANA Abuja which was produced in widely attended elective convention of August 15, 2020.

“To put the record straight, we must emphasize that the so called caretaker committee chairman, Lois Otse Adams, the former Treasurer of our great chapter participated and failed to secure a second term in August 15, 2020 election.

“We are not oblivious of the fact that certain elements who lost out in their desperation to foist a stooge on the generality of the foremost writers’ body in the country for suspicious reasons are behind this orgy of illegality.

“We are equally surprised that fictitious names such as Uwem Okom, Fahad Babangida and Barr. Francis Urochukwu are being bandied about as members of the so called caretaker committee. For clarity purpose, such names do not exist in our ANA Abuja updated or any register for that matter. They have never at anytime been members of ANA anywhere in the country.

“We appeal to the general public to be weary of impersonators masquerading as leaders of ANA Abuja. We have lodged complaints with the appropriate authorities and in no distant time, the long arm of the law will catch up with such characters.”

Meanwhile chairmen of State chapters of ANA under the aegis of Forum of ANA chairmen has kicked against the purported sacking of the Halima Usman-led Executive Committee.

In a letter signed by 21 of the chairmen, they said their investigation reveals that the refusal by ANA Abuja to readmit Mallam Denja Abdullah, the immediate past National President back into ANA Abuja WhatsApp Group, after he left in 2019 with a stern warning not to be added back is the genesis of the disagreement.

While expressing support for Halima Usman-led EXCO, the chairmen described the purported appointment of a caretaker committee for ANA Abuja as null and void, insisting that it does not have any legal effect.

The letter read in part, “That we are at all times ready to render to the lawful ANA Abuja Chapter exco, led by Halima Usman, every support that it might require in it’s effort to assert its two-year term in office, which the constitution has recognised and holds inviolable.

“That Mr Camillius Ukah, not elected as President of ANA under the provision of our Constitution, remains a mere floor member of ANA Imo Chapter and, like all other floor members of ANA, he lacks the power to exercise the office of ANA President;

“That Mr Maik Ortsega, not elected as General Secretary of ANA under the provision of our Constitution, remains a mere floor member of ANA Benue Chapter and, like all other floor members of ANA, he lacks the power to exercise the office of ANA General Secretary.”

Similarly, members of ANA Abuja chapter have expressed disappointment over the purported sacking of their duly elected Chairman, describing the action as irresponsible and capable of throwing the association into further chaos.

In a letter signed by 30 members of the chapter, they said under the leadership of Halima Usman, ANA Abuja has remained a hallmark of excellence.

“We therefore seize this opportunity to express our support for the Halima Usman-led executive which was re-elected for another term, via a validly conducted election on August 15 2020, after the expiration of that Exco earlier in April.

“Under the leadership of Halima Usman, ANA Abuja Chapter has remained the landmark for excellence in the ANA Circle nationwide in the last two years and we can not afford to watch the relative peace and achievement of the chapter to be undermined by this action.

“We insist, no faction of the National EXCO has any right to dissolve a validly elected Chapter executive, and we hereby request them to desist from such ill-advised actions with immediate effect and work towards the reunification of the ANA family” it partly read.

ANA Abuja