The Actors Guild has been enmeshed in one crisis or the other for a while.
Former beauty queen and Nollywood actress, Ibinabo Fiberesima, has been sworn-in as the new president of the Actors’ Guild of Nigeria, AGN, amidst claims by a fellow presidential aspirant, Emeka Rollas, that he won the election.
On Friday, September 28, Mr. Rollas wrote on his Facebook page saying, “‘As I have been declared 7th National President of Actors Guild of Nigeria today by the Actors Guild of Nigeria Electoral Committee in Abuja, I urge all to join hands with me so that we can rebuild the Guild. However we shall not fail to fish out all those who think AGN is money making machine and put them where they belong. Long live AGN”.
Earlier in the week, the electoral chairman, Ayo Emmanuel, sent out a press statement claiming Mr. Rollas won the 7th AGN elections after beating Fiberesima with 81 votes to 76. When the results were contested by Fiberesima’s camp, the electoral chairman said the result of the Ondo and Niger state chapters were suspended for manipulations, while the Abuja chapter was suspended for multiple voting.
Both men were however accused of conniving to illegally announce Mr. Emmanuel as the president, while the acclaimed winner allegedly offered to pay the electoral chairman an unspecified amount of money.
These scandals notwithstanding, Fiberisima was sworn-in by the acting chairperson of AGN and veteran actress, Rachel Oniga, and another AGN executive committee member and actress, Florence Onuma; owing to the absence of Mr. Emmanuel.
The swearing-in ceremony was conducted, in the presence of several AGN members, on Saturday, in front of the secretariat, after the offices were locked and chained by the Landlord.
“I am the president and I intend to remain president of this guild till my tenure ends and I will change the face of this guild,” Fiberisima told pressmen after she was sworn in as president.
This is not the first time that the AGN elections will be marred with scandals. In May, Segun Arinze resigned as the Guilds’ president as a result of the violence that marred AGN election in Benin, Edo State.
Late last year, Nollywood actor, Emeka Ike, dared anyone to conduct the Guild’s general election and face the consequences of a jail term.
Emeka also declared illegal, all the activities of the Segun Arinze-led faction of the guild saying “it’s not representative of the entire interests of the members of the guild.”
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