Moments after the judgment of Justice James Tsoho of the Federal High Court, Lagos, nullifying the election of the first female president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Ibinabo Fiberisima-Egbuka, the actress has stormed the Court of Appeal, Lagos to challenge the said ruling. The Rivers State-born thespian who hosted President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan in an all-star interactive session last Sunday has given orders to her lawyers to file an appeal on the judgment.
According to the national secretary of the AGN, Abubakar Sanusi Yakubu, “Ibinabo is challenging the judgement since she believes that the judge did not understand the case before making his judgement. That case has been backdated twice since 2011. There is no validation in the case and the judgement, moreover she has nothing in common with Emeka Ike and his proxies. She did not contest any election with him. So how could he have the right to challenge her election?”
It would be recalled that the trouble with Emeka Ike and the AGN dates back over six years. He had gone to court to lay claim of the presidency of the actors’ guild after the former president of the AGN, Segun Arinze was made the body’s interim president.
Emeka, an actor and erstwhile school administrator, who closed down his private school due to alleged managerial issues, continued his fight with Ibinabo as soon as she was elected for her first term.
Emeka Ike would not let peace be, even after Ibinabo concluded her first term and was subsequently elected for her second tenure last November.
Meanwhile, a crosssection of the movie industry have started to drum up support for the Ibinabo led AGN government. One of those chanting solidarity songs is one time chairman of the AGN Lagos chapter and Emeka Ike’s former henchman, Emeka “Rising” Ibe.
In a media chat, Rising, who decamped from the Emeka Ike’s faction of the AGN after a long spell with the splinter group, said that his decision to leave the camp was for the good of the AGN and movie industry in Nigeria.
“I was with Emeka Ike before but had to change and turn to the Ibinabo led AGN because I have seen that the betterment of the body lies with her. Now, I have distanced myself from Emeka Ike and Don Pedro Aganbi. My advice to them is to reconcile with Ibinabo.
I told them that there is always a time for fighting and a time for peace. Emeka Ike should not be allowed to destroy the guild. Ibinabo is the right person for that job and we are going to do everything possible to support her government,” Rising said.
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