It’s illegal –Okafor
It’s best way to go – Tee Mac

By Tony Ogaga and Magnus Eze, Abuja

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Barely few days after Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngigie, inaugurated the new PMAN Electoral Committee, a fresh crisis is set to engulf the musicians’ body, as factional leader, Pretty Okafor described the electoral body as “unconstitutional and illegal”.
PMAN had been embroiled in crisis for over 11 years with about six persons at different times laying claim to its leadership.  In order to find a lasting peace, Senator Ngige on Monday inaugurated a 25-member Caretaker Committee to run the affairs of the association. Membership of the committee was drawn from the two key factions of PMAN. They included Kelvin Lucciano (chairman), Tee Mac Iseli, George Durueke, Orits Williki, Chris Mba, Yinka Davies, and Daddy Showkey.
While noting that PMAN was critical to tourism development and job creation in the country, Ngige said that the government could not afford to look away from the association. He then assigned a deputy director from the Ministry the responsibility of monitoring the entire process that would see to the emergence of an acceptable leadership in PMAN.
However, Okafor vowed not to be a part of the electoral committee. Hear him: “It is a big fraud and illegality. If they are trying to use this to cover up their fraud, then it is not going to work. How can they have such a meeting and not invite all stakeholders? I am a stakeholder and I was not invited. The minister does not have the power to set up an electoral committee; we don’t have it in our constitution,” he said.
Okafor added: “There is a running judgment which has already directed us to do NEC and we have done the NEC and a date for elections has been announced; so how come they are running back to set up illegal electoral committee? This is contempt of court. They want to grab power by force. I am sure the minister was ill advised. Is the minister above the Law?”
But then, ace flutist and factional leader of PMAN, Tee Mac Iseli justified the setting up of the electoral committee while accusing Okafor of trying to smear his name.
“The minister inaugurated the committee by virtue of his power as the Minister of Labour and Employment. What Pretty (Okafor) is doing is illegal. He has no right to parade himself as PMAN president. PMAN land is intact. If Pretty wants to be part of the election, he should join the legal arm of PMAN,” he said.