A faction of the embattled Performing Musicians Employers Association of Nigeria, PMAN led by its President, Dr. Gbenga Falope has described the self-acclaimed President of PMAN, Mr. Pretty Okafor as a fraudster and a perpetuator of Illegality.
In a statement signed by the PMAN President and General Secretary, Boniface Itodo, Dr. Falope stated that the musician who has been parading himself as the president of PMAN is nothing but an imposter. According to him, a court pronouncement had declared his presidency illegal.
In the statement, Falope said “On the 31st day of October 2014, consent judgment was delivered at the Federal High Court, Lagos in favour of Mr. Pretty Okafor, making him (PMAN) President without the consent of the people he claimed he had consent agreement with”
“Unfortunately for him, Mr. Pretty Okafor, the said high court judgment was challenged and set aside on the 14th day of April,2016 for want of jurisdiction, meaning Mr. Pretty Okafor never existed as PMAN President”
Falope noted that the move prompted the intervention of the Ministry of Labour through the office of the Registrar of Trade Unions which set up a caretaker committee mandated to ensure that a credible election holds from the date of the inauguration.
“On the 31st day of January 2017, an election was held in Abuja which actually produced credible leadership for PMAN supervised by PMAN regulator which is the trade union in line with PMAN constitution..Moreso, on the 6th day of October, 2017, a consent judgment was delivered at the National Industrial Court reaffirming our legitimacy” Falope said.
In a statement dated 19 March,2017 signed by Uyi-A Osagie on behalf of the Registrar of Trade Unions in the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment; the ministry congratulated the newly elected PMAN executives while also acknowledging the resignation of its past president, Hon. Dr. Kester Okoro
Osagie said “…the office hereby wishes the new PMAN President, Comrade Gbenga Falope and the entire National Executive Council (NEC) members a fruitful and crisis free tenure in office and pray God’s wisdom in the discharge of your duties”