THE Federal High Court, sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, last
week nullified the election that produced Ibinabo
Fiberesima as the President of Actors Guild of Nigeria
(AGN) in 2012. Since that judgment was delivered, the
industry has been thrown into confusion, even as
Ibinabo has stormed the Court of Appeal to challenge
the judgment.
HVP went after Emeka Ike, one of the principal
actors in the matter during the week, as he vented
his anger on the sacked President of the guild. He
vows to ensure that the court order is executed
despite all odds, alleging, however, that his life is
currently being threatened for fighting for justice.
What’s the position <!--more-->of things at the moment?
Nothing
has
changed
about
the
Federal
High
Court
verdict
voiding
the
election
that
brought
Ibinabo
Fiberesima into office as the President of the Actors
Guild of Nigeria, and the sacking of members of the
Board of Trustees of the Guild. That’s the position for
now.
Has the court order been obeyed by your opponents?
They will not obey the court order and they are not
obeying the verdict of the court of law. They are even
calling the court ruling “kangaroo.” What an impunity!
They are yet to obey the court order. I’m hearing that
she has gone to Court of Appeal, and if Ibinabo has
appealed the matter, common sense demands that
she should keep quiet and watch things unfold. Who’s
advising her as well as her sponsors? She has
appealed the matter, fine! But the appeal has not
been granted, whether there will be a stay of
execution or not.
It’s just a notice, but I have an order. I am the
legitimate President of AGN as we speak now. I don’t
know who is giving Ibinabo the wrong impression that
the court did not pronounce me the President of AGN.
If the Chief of Staff of Mr. President goes to court on
behalf of the government and wins the judgement
against the opposition, would you say he did it in
isolation? It’s an issue of the excos, and one of my
excos who happens to be my treasurer went to court
to obtain a judgement against Ibinabo. So, it’s a
victory for all.
What’s the way forward?
We have to proceed with everything we can to make
them understand that the rule of law is sacrosanct.
No matter the amount of money they have to throw
around, the rule of law must prevail in this matter.
They must obey the court order, and where they
refused to do so, we will use all legal means to bring
them to submission. We are not afraid of what they
can do. In fact, the worse they can do is to pump
bullets into our bodies. They are already threatening
our lives. They even told my wife that she should
either advise her husband or become a widow. Are
they planning to kill me?
Of course, I am not afraid to die fighting for justice. I
am not scared of the things that the evil men can do
to the physical body because the soul is more
superior than the physical body. If they think they can
take the body away, I have made my point.
This judgement has justified me despite all the
scandalous things they have said about me on the
pages of newspapers; all the blackmailings and
invasion of my privacy; I have not said Ibinabo has
five children from five men, neither have I reminded
her that she has a case to answer with the Lagos
State government. I’m not saying anything that has to
do with her personal life.
But I am telling her that she’s no longer the President
of AGN, and that those people who are doing
everything to secure her position are doing so
because of their own personal gains. The young
actors and actresses are being disenfranchised. It’s
only for the few who would pay Ibinabo’s game, and
among the few, the list keeps dropping as another
new list emerges. So, it’s a case of ‘use and dump’,
which is the normal game in politics. If she is
introducing the same in the entertainment industry,
we have to resist it.
What have you done about the threat to your life?
I have made complains to the law enforcement
agency and they will invite them very soon. I am
crying out that Ibinabo and her followers want to kill
me.
Last week, Segun Arinze suggested that the industry
should declare you persona non grata?
That shows the depth of his knowledge. On what
bases will you declare somebody a persona non
grata? That I got a judgment and that I am right in my
claims. If you don’t have enough facts to persecute
the case, you’d better withdraw. Don’t call for
assistance or begin to attract sympathy. This is not
about me, but it’s about the aspiring actors who have
been disenfranchised.
You don’t make people feel that you are connected
enough to disobey the court order. It’s only a stain on
your personality. Since last week, I have been
receiving congratulatory messages from the elders of
the industry. They have been thanking me for
liberating them from the strongholds of Ibinabo and
members of the Board of Trustees. Have you not
heard about a lot of irregularities going on in the
Guild? Where are all the monies they are making in
the name of the Guild? Where is the office space?
Two-bedroom apartment located somewhere in
Surulere, and the apartment has been there before
Ibinabo assumed office. So, what has she achieved
since she came into office? That she facilitated Chike
Byran’s travel to India for kidney transplant; Was that
the only achievement she has recorded with all the
monies she’s making in the name of the Guild. Where
are the papers for the parcels of lands she collected
on behalf of the guild in Abuja, Lagos, Anambra
among other cities?
But people believe Ibinabo’s admininstration has
transformed the guild?
Mention one actor or actress that has been insured.
How is the health insurance working? Which company
insured us and where are the papers? All these
things are empty claims. That she assisted Prince
James Uche and other ailing actors financially: I also
assisted Prince James Uche from my personal purse,
and I did not make noise about it. I also contributed to
Emeka Ojukwu, when he had a problem too.
A leader must have a programme of action. Tell me,
which programme has pursued since she came on
board? The only thing she has done is that of
exposing us to the government because of her
relationship with the government in power. But then,
the closeness is not properly harnessed, because the
financial gifts the government in power is giving to the
industry through Ibinabo is not reaching the
grassroots. Then what are we talking about.
What’s your dream for AGN?
My dream is to see an AGN where every member has
a pride of place in the guild; Where issues affecting
the guild will be addressed by the members
themselves, and allowing the leadership to implement
whatever decision they have arrived at.
From 2007, when this case was first instituted, till
date, can you put a figure to what you have spent so
far?
There is no figure whatever that can make justice
achievable to a common man on the street. But I can
tell you, I have spend well over N10 to N12 million on
this matter. For instance, since last week, all my
state chairmen have been in Lagos on my bill. It has
happened like that over ten times.
You didn’t get any judgment against us — AGN BoT
MEANWHILE reacting to the Federal High Court
judgment during the week, at a press conference held
at the guild’s secretariat in Surulere, Lagos, the Board
of Trustees,BoT, of the guild,declared that Emeka Ike
did not get any judgment or victory against its
members. Speaking through its Chairman, Prince
Ifeanyi Dike, the Board maintained that Emeka Ike
cannot be the President of the guild because he was
not joined in the suit with St Maradona Mikevine, in
which judgement was delivered on last Monday.
Hear him: “We have decided to talk to the press
concerning what have been dished out by Emeka Ike
concerning his litigation with the members of the
Board of Trustees of the Actors Guild of Nigeria.
Emeka Ike has been telling the world that he has won
his case against the Board of Trustees of the guild,
and that he has been declared the President of the
body. We need to correct this falsehood deliberately
being peddled around obviously for political gains of
the bearer of the false information.”
“The truth is that Emeka Ike did not get any
judgement or victory against members of the BoT of
AGN. His case is suit number FHC/L/CS/365/2011
and it is still pending before Honourable Justice
Tsoho of the Federal High Court, Lagos. It has been
adjourned to Thursday, April 16, 2015 for hearing of
the objection filed by Emeka Ike against the
appearance of our new counsel in the matter. If the
case is still pending in court, how can the same court
declare him to be the President without deciding the
matter finally? This is the central issue for resolution
in that case.”
Continuing, Prince Dike, who was flanked by Sunny
McDon, the Secretary to the Board, and the BoT’s
lawyer, Nnaemeka Amaechina said, “The truth is that
another case filed by St Maradona Mikevine Johnson
V Board of Trustees of the Actors Guild of Nigeria suit
number FHC/L/CS/734/2012 was decided by the
court on March 16, 2015. In that case, the court ruled
among other things that the term of office of the
members of the BoT of AGN has expired. We have
since appealed against that decision.
“One of the planks of our complaint is that the
members of the BoT, whose tenure was declared to
have expired, were not made parties to that action.
Despite this complaint, the court, in its infinite
wisdom, found against us and we have appealed to
the Court of Appeal against that decision.”
“Apart from appealing, we have also filed motion for
stay of execution. The implication of filing stay is that
the court judgment has not become operative until
the motion for stay is decided either in our favour or
against us.Despite this motion, which is pending,
Emeka Ike has been sending thugs to unleash
violence in order to take over the office of the
president of AGN. This is lawlessness in its
extremity.
In this case, Emeka Ike did not get judgement to start
with. Assuming he got judgement, he cannot execute
it by himself or through thugs but through court
officials, whose responsibility it is to do so. He cannot
take laws into his own hands. The fact remains that
he did not get judgement, so, he cannot execute any
judgement.” Dike, however, revealed that Emeka Ike
ceased to be a member of the guild since 2009, when
they published a disclaimer on him in the Daily Sun,
adding that “Even in the action filed by Emeka Ike, he
is contending that 17, Ajao Road is not the office of
AGN. We wonder why he should come here now to
seek to cause commotion.
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