The Acting General Secretary of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), Elizabeth Gabriel, has reacted to the reported suspension of its chairman, Pretty Okafor.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the PMAN National Executive Council, in a statement signed by its National Treasurer, Baba Ojonugwa, announced Mr Okafor’s suspension and named Sydney Sparrow as the association’s president.
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Mr Okafor assumed office as PMAN president in October 2016 and was re-elected for a second term in October 2023.
However, in a statement sent to this newspaper on Tuesday, Ms Gabriel dismissed the reported suspension as “WhatsApp cosplay,” insisting that Mr Okafor remains the association’s substantive president.
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She said: “Mr Pretty Okafor remains the constitutionally recognised and judicially affirmed President of the Performing Musicians Employers’ Association of Nigeria (PMAN). In a statement issued by the Nigerian Music House, the union’s secretariat in Lagos, and signed by the Acting General Secretary, Barrister Elizabeth Gabriel, the purported suspension of Pretty Okafor as PMAN President is nothing but a hoax.
“On December 25, 2025, some disgruntled members of the association had purportedly held a “NEC meeting” where Pretty Okafor was allegedly suspended. But the PMAN’s Acting General Secretary described the development as ‘theatrical absurdity’ and ‘a Christmas Day comedy skit disguised as a NEC meeting.’”
Constitutionally President
Ms Gabriel further stated that, under the PMAN constitution, Mr Okafor remained the recognised and judicially affirmed president.
She added that she was compelled to respond to what she described as an embarrassing display of ignorance, contempt, and criminal desperation.
“It is truly unfortunate that on a day meant to celebrate peace and goodwill, certain individuals have chosen to descend into theatrical absurdity, attempting to stage what could only be described as a Christmas Day comedy skit disguised as a NEC meeting.
“Let it be stated clearly and without equivocation: no legitimate meeting of PMAN’s National Executive Council took place on the 25th of December 2025. What occurred was nothing more than a WhatsApp cosplay by a group of actors, hell-bent on creating chaos to shield the true object of scrutiny – Mr Olusco and his network of collaborators who are currently under active investigation for serious financial crimes,” she said.
Article of faith
She emphasised that the constitution of PMAN was not open to personal interpretation, describing it as an article of faith.
She stated: “Article 11(G) mandates that a NEC meeting must be convened by the General Secretary in consultation with the President, with an agenda circulated at least three weeks in advance. This is not merely procedural – it is foundational. No such notice was given. No such consultation occurred. Therefore, nothing resembling a lawful NEC meeting happened. Article 11(I), which prescribes the order of presiding officers, only becomes operational after a valid meeting has been convened. The law is not a mask to be worn at will – it is a structure, and it binds us all.
“What this group did is not just unconstitutional; it is contemptuous. There is a subsisting interlocutory order of the National Industrial Court, delivered on the 30th of October 2025 in Suit No. NICN/LA/48/2025, expressly restraining the 1st to 13th Defendants from interfering with PMAN’s assets or altering its leadership structure. The same order also binds the Registrar of Trade Unions, prohibiting any steps that could recognize or legitimize the 1st to 13th Defendants or any other persons. That order remains in force, and it is being willfully disobeyed. This is a serious offense.”
Allegations
Ms Gabriel traced the origins of the PMAN crisis to Mr Olusco, the former developer of the union’s Monaco property in Abuja.
She further alleged that Mr Olusco had been unlawfully selling units of the Monaco property, despite lacking any legal authority to do so.
She noted, “It is now public knowledge that Mr. Olusco has been behind the destabilization of PMAN from the outset. It was he who sponsored the illegal suspension of President Pretty Okafor in August 2024. It is also on record – documented and submitted to law enforcement – that Olusco has been unlawfully selling units of PMAN’s Monaco property in Abuja, despite having no right to do so.
“In one particular case, he used the PMAN land to fraudulently induce a company, G& D, into signing a joint venture agreement under which he – through his CEO, Mr. Oluwafemi Olumeyan – collected ₦350 million. After receiving the money, Olusco denied ever signing the agreement. A petition was filed, and the police, after investigation, confirmed a prima facie case of obtaining under false pretense, criminal breach of trust, and other offenses. The matter is now under the purview of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which detained Mr. Olumeyan and has since released him on bail.”
According to Ms Gabriel, the anti-graft agency summoned Mr Olusco on 23 December over the sale of the Monaco property.
She stated that during the meeting, he was instructed to provide a comprehensive list of buyers to whom he had allegedly sold portions of PMAN’s land illegally.
Ms Gabriel further added that Mr Olusco was asked to submit documentation detailing how he paid $300,000 for a construction crane currently situated on the PMAN site.
““Let it also be known that we are in possession of audio evidence wherein it is alleged that Olusco offered ₦144 million to JFO, via Aita Bonny, to orchestrate the removal of Pretty Okafor as President. This is not politics – it is criminal conspiracy, and every actor involved in this drama will face the consequences of their actions,” Ms Gabriel alleged.
Warning
Ms Gabriel also cautioned individuals presenting themselves as PMAN leaders on national television and social media to stop.
She noted that their actions had not only brought them embarrassment but also revealed their lack of understanding of the constitution.
“Article 11(I) does not give anyone the right to convene a meeting. It certainly does not authorize the presiding over of a meeting that was never validly called. Sparrow’s public claim that Article 11(I) somehow prevents anyone from ‘holding the association to ransom’ is not just wrong – it is dangerously stupid. That this man fancies himself a future PMAN President should worry every serious musician in this country.”
She highlighted that Mr Okafor is both the legitimate President of PMAN and the one who has defended the association’s assets against those seeking to exploit them for personal benefit.
“That is the real reason behind this attempted coup. It has nothing to do with governance. It is a desperate, last-ditch effort by individuals who know that. Let the public be informed: this is not a suspension. It is a panic stunt by people who are out of time, out of law, and soon, out of freedom. PMAN will not be shaken. The constitution stands. The court order stands. And the truth will not be buried under the noise of WhatsApp politicians and their sponsors.
“Let the EFCC, the police, and the courts do their job. Let musicians across Nigeria and in the diaspora remain calm. There is only one legitimate leadership in PMAN, and it is the one recognised by the law – not by Christmas Day group chats and media stunts. The days of impunity are over. The drama is unraveling. And the law is watching,” said Ms Gabriel.
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