Chairmen of Actors Guild of Nigeria, AGN, across the country have reaffirmed embattled actress Ibinabo Fiberesima as the legitimate national president of the guild.
The film practitioners had met in Calabar, Cross River State, to chart the way forward for the guild’s age long disputes.
Briefing journalists after a close-door meeting that lasted for hours, the chairman of Cross River chapter of the guild, Monica Udofia, told newsmen that the meeting of statesmen from across the country was to address the authenticity of Ibinabo Fiberesima as national president of the guild.
Udofia also said the meeting sought to condemn activities of Emeka Ike who parades himself as factional president of the guild and the recent purported setting up a caretaker committee led by Steve Eboh.
A communiqué released to the media after the meeting commended Ibinabo for respecting the judgment of Justice J.S Tshoho of the Federal High Court.
“We condemn in totality the activities of Emeka Ike and his cohorts n impersonating as AGN President and National Executives and setting up parallel State chapters without regards to existing chapters. It is not only unconstitutional, but illegal,” the communiqué read in part.
“The Stakeholders meeting in Awka was just a gathering of some ignorant members used by over ambitious few who are bent on fermenting trouble in the Guild to achieve their mischievous aims and objectives. We urge our members to disregard them,” the communiqué said.
The chairmen of actors also condemned the unethical reporting by some media practitioners especially the electronic media whom the chairmen said usually throw professionalism to the gutter by airing one sided stories without recourse to hear both sides of it.
“They, not all media houses maliciously help to proclaim Emeka Ike as the President of AGN, as they kept airing his own side of the story without cross checking with the National Secretariat of the Guild or State Chapter Chairmen for proper brief on the true situation of crisis in the Guild.”
“We appeal to Messrs Emeka Ike and Steve Eboh to embrace peace and eschew all acts capable of tarnishing our image.”
“Actors are Ambassadors of Peace; we are role models and mirror of the society.
It is therefore disheartening to see our dear AGN, our pride being ridiculed in public for mere personal ambition of few members.”
Renown comic actor and chairperson of Lagos State chapter of the guild Victor Osuagwu, worried why Emeka Ike parades himself as the guild’s apex president, when according to them, he did not vie for the position while also maintaining that Ike is not a financial member and was not attending the guild’s meetings as stated in the constitution.
Meanwhile, while the meeting lasted, according to River State chapter chairman of AGN, Orikoha Ugochukwu the chairman of the “purported caretaker committee set by Emeka Rollers”, Steve Ebo had called in to intimate them that he and his members have dissolved the committee claiming they were being instigated mar the guild.
On his part, Kwara State chairman, Val Gbenga urged the media to always speak to stakeholders of the guild who had authority to speak on issues of the guild rather than give relevance to non-members of the guild as it drags the guild to disrepute.
Also speaking, popular actor and chairman of AGN in Enugu, Stan K. Amandi sued for an all stakeholders meeting where disgruntled members would bare their minds with a view to reunite the guild. Nasarawa chairperson, Andrey Adzuayi Allu, also reaffirmed her recognition of Ibinabo Fiberesima as the legitimate president of the guild.
