By Ekuson Nw’Ogbunka, Abuja
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Members of the Licensed Electrical Contractors Association of Nigeria (LECAN) may have been passing through crisis, as they have not only rejected in its entirety, the vote of confidence passed on the Association’s national executives recently, which they described as a childplay and unseriousness, but also called on the office of their president to maintain sanity and strictly abide by the provisions of the Association’s law.
This was contained in a recent letter they wrote through their lawyers, Mbahchinwenduufere & Co in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to the Office of their President and copied to Nigeria Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA), Abuja Electricity Distribution Comoany (AEDC), Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the LECAN National Leader, High Chief Otunba Dele Akintola, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commissioner (EFCC).
The Members from different chapters of the Association who wrote the letter were Alh Abdulazeez Edochie, Alh RahimiIsiaka, A. O. Odumoro, Dr Haruna S. Mohammed, AlhSuleiman Abdulmalik, Alh Haruna Mohammed, Engr Kingsley Agbaisi, Chief Vitus Ofodum, Engr Ibrahim Abdulahi, Joseph Eniolorunfe, Rev Michael Tiuola, Mr Daisi Komolafe and AlhHamza Mohammed Kumo.
Urging the office to strictly adhere to their law, the members however disowned in its entirety, wjat they termed, acclamedmotion of vote of confidence passed on the president and the entire national executive council at a leadership summit on 27 October, 2022 in Uyo, the Akwa – Ibom state capital, which accordung to them, was kicked against by participants.
They stated that the participants demanded for a National Delegate Conference General Meeting, being the supreme authority of the Association with equal delegates of five members from each chapter in line with the Article 6 of the Association’s constitution. Imforming that the conference holds every four years, for conduction of elections and other agenda, they reminded the Office of the President, that they were elected into office on November the 7th, 2018, which according to them has since elapsed on November the 7th, 2022.
To that effect, firstly, they reminded the president that the Article 6 (b) (ii) prohibits him to transact any business of which notice shall has been given at any general meeting, saying that election or vote of confidence wasn’t in the agenda of the summit. Secondly, they also reminded the office that apart from illegalities in the acclamed vote of confidence, the president, they accused him of disobeying the constitution: Article 6 (B) (ii), which accordung to them, he vowed to uphold, by not making available, audited account and balanced sheet at the end of his tenure in line with Rule 55 of the law at the end of the tenure. Thirdly, they reminded him of having failed to adhere to the Article 15 (D) (x), which says that he should conduct elections, not later than 30 days before the elapsing of his tenure,
For the continued sanity and unity of the Association to be maintained, with its aims and objectives to reflect the intent of its founders, the LECAN members demanded: for constitution of electoral committee – Article 15 (D) (ix); that the Secretariat be ordered to send a notice for National Conference Delegates for election and others – Article 6 (A); that the Association’s audited account be made available at the conference – Rule 55 and; that he uses 60 days after the elapsing of his tenure to ensure the appointments made after his tenure and other arbitrary functions of the national exevutives remains ab initio nul and void. They therefore said that they wouldn’t hesitate to court, should the Office of the President fail to do the needful, as stipulated in their constitution.
However, in a recent letter LECAN’s counsels: Chief O. U. Orji Esq, M.A. Gwoza Esq, Benjamin Ogbonnaya Esq, M. AkanbiEsq and others wrote to the aggrieved members’ counsels and copied to the National President, Dr John Ekere Etim, the National Leader, High Chief Otumba Dele Akintola, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, Nigerian Society of Engineers, Senate Committee on Power, Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, Inspector – General of Police and other relevant authorities, they said that the vote of confidence passed on the national executives was strictly done in line with the Association’s laws. Debunking the claim that the vote of confidence was unconstitutionally done on leadership summit, they maintained that it was done at a Leadership Retreat/National Delegates Conference, in line with Article 6 (b) (ii) of the LECAN’s law.
