Movie producers torn apart over election

Etim Ekpimah

The unity of Association of Movie Producers, Nigeria has been threatened over election.

It was learnt that the Director General, National Film and Video Censor Board (NFVCB), Adedayo Thomas prevented Mr Zeb Ejiro from leaving the hotel room, where he lodged so that he could endorse Peace Osigwe factional election that held in Asaba as the authentic.

According to a report another election took place at AMP secretariat in Surulere, Lagos where, Mr Mykel Parish Ajaere was declared the winner of the election and defeated Osigwe.

Further information on the election revealed that the censors board director general was supporting the Osigwe faction against those in Lagos.

A statement on Sunday by the Ajaere factional group, who claimed that the news reaching them from Asaba, in Delta State on Saturday was that the DG of censor’s board, a government agency has been the one forcing some members of the association to support the candidacy of Osigwe, using the name of honourable Minister of information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed as the sponsor of Osigwe.

“When the association felt the undue interference of the government agency, they called for an extra ordinary congress meeting and postponed the Asaba elections and handed over the guild to the board of trustees to dissolve the Ralph Nwadike-led Excos whose tenure had expired since November last year.

“We appointed Mr John Brown to midwife the election that produced Mr Ajaere as the president, in order to ensure that Osigwe emerges; the DG censors Board held Mr Ejiro hostage at Vienna Hotels, Asaba and forced him to endorse the factional election in Asaba. The question is the DG a member of AMP? he asked.

In his reaction, Thomas debunked the issue and retorted, ‘it’s not true.’

“It’s all lies, and I wonder how anyone will say I held someone who arrived the venue of the election hostage. In fact, it was Ejiro and the Commissioner for Arts and Culture that declared the event open.

“I don’t know where the story originated from, because other people were there and about 16 states were represented.

“I was invited by AMP to monitor the election and the way it was held; it will be difficult to endorse anyone with what I saw yesterday.”

He added that Ejiro can confirm this story as untrue, adding that they all had an open ceremony, and nothing was done hidden.

“I don’t even know where this story is coming from, and I think those who wrote it are just being mischievous,” he said.