MAN 'O' War Association, a paramilitary organisation said to have been established by Adewole Bassey, some years back, is currently faced with leadership tussle.The crisis centres around the former national president/ commander general, Chief Adewole Bassey Ese, and the newly elected president, Mr Gbenga Oloba. The principal members and patrons of the organisation, had met in Abuja on 2 November, 2011 and dissolved the national executive and state commands of the organisation on the grounds that the affected officers, especially the commandant-general, had exceeded the constitutional duration in office, having spent over 11 years in office.The Man 'O' War association, Nigerian Tribune gathered was a breakaway from the Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre (C<C) Man 'O' War Nigeria, an organisation under the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, Abuja.It was also gathered that there was a pending case between the C<C and Bassey - led Man 'O' War in the court of law.But at the extra-ordinary meeting of the Bassey-led Man 'O' War association which took place in Abuja, two-thirds of the members of the group present , while responding to an Article N0 31 on page 20 of the association's constitution, dissolved the executive, saying the affected officers contravened Article N0 17 page 15 of the association's constitution.The dissolved offices were the National President/ commander-general, national vice president, executive secretary general, executive financial secretary, executive treasurer, chief commandant-general, public relations executive and all the state commandants and their executives.At the meeting, members specifically alleged that the former president of the association, Chief Adewole Bassey Ese, violated the constitution of the association by running for third term in office, having spent two terms of 10 years in office.Part of the allegations read thus: '' As the president of the organisation, you failed to conduct election according to Article 17, page15 of the association's constitution, at the expiration of your two terms in office. 'You incessantly remove, promote and or reinstate state commandants unilaterally without following due process. You monopolised the affairs of the association and run it as you like as you are the director of finance, the store keeper and you irrationally sell recruitment form, uniforms and ranks of the organisation to the highest bidders. You made your personal account the treasury of the organisation which violates Article 12 section 2 of our great association.''As a result of these, a new set of officers was elected to oversee the affairs of the association over the next five years. The newly elected officers are Mr Gbenga Oloba as the national president/ commandant general; S.B Dawodu as vice-president; FA Okosun as chief of staff; Orji Daniel as secretary general and Emmanuel Ogbonna as director of public relations.Others are; Isah Magnus as accountant general; SB Thomas as director of recruitment, and Felicia Ameh as director of welfare.Bur predictably, the move did not go down well with Chief Bassey Ese, the former president, and he allegedly disclaimed the Gbenga Oloba-led executive, describing the new president as an usurper.According to him, Mr Oloba was since March this year dismissed as a member of the association for allegedly committing some criminal offences and should, therefore, not be elected to man the leadership of the organisation.He, therefore urged members of the public to disregard him, saying he, Bassey Ese still remains the authentic president of the organisation. Oloba, with retinue of followers including principal members of the organisation, who were not happy with the situation addressed newsmen at the NUJ Press Centre , Lokoja, the Kogi State capital where he showed journalists evidences of his election as the president and commander-general of the organisation.Not only that, the picture of his decoration when he was elected in Abuja and elevated to a new rank, commensurate with his position as the president of the association was presented to newsmen.Similarly, a letter of his appointment was also shown to journalists with copies of a letter containing the list of the new leadership sent to various government officials and institutions, including the Presidency, the Office of the Senate president, the Attorney-general of the Federation, the minister of Information, among others.Oloba, who is a graduate of Federal University of Technology, Minna said he is a diligent, honest and patriotic Nigerian who has no criminal record and has been serving the association selflessly for several years.Oloba, who described the former leader as power drunk wondered why he should still be parading himself as the president of the association when nine of the 12 patrons of the organisation, the overwhelming majority voted for him and sworn him in along with the new executives as the president of the association.In his words '' It is a pity that the reality of his removal dawned on him two weeks after he was voted out of office , like the disgraced Gaddafi, Bassey Ese flagrantly refused to heed to wise counsels , he refused to realise he is a spent force, that no man but God can hold sway forever.
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