By AgroNigeria
Members of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) on Tuesday elected a new National President, Alhaji Faruk Rabiu Mudi.
Mudi, who replaced Arch. Kabir Ibrahim was formerly the Kano State chairman of the association.
The new president on Thursday paid a courtesy visit to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Muhammad Sabo Nano, in his Abuja office.
Mudi emerged president after an emergency meeting held among members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) at the Roses Regency Hotel and Suites, Abuja.
NEC in the meeting inaugurated a 13-member Care-Taker Committee or National Working Committee where Mudi emerged National President.
In the meeting, Prince Olusegun Dasaolu (Ogun) emerged Deputy National President 1, and Comr. Confidence D. I Mac-Eteli (Bayelsa) emerged Deputy National President 2, among others.
The Committee during the meeting resolved some issues some of which indict the Ibrahim-led administration for contravening the Association’s constitution.
In a communiqué dated March 3, 2020, and obtained by AgroNigeria, the NEC said the association has not held any General Assembly of Farmers in disregard to Article 8, Section 1 of its constitution.
The document further stated that the tenure of the Ibrahim-led outgone National Working Committee (NWC) expired since June 2019, contravening Article 13, Section 1 of the constitution which stipulates a five-year-single-term tenure for all elected officers across all organs of the association.
The Committee further said it resolved to set-up a 13-member Care-Taker Committee –whose member could decide to contest in the election – to man and steer the activities of the association and conduct election within two years.
However, the news did not go down well with Ibrahim who in a statement said the new Mudi-led executives were not representative of the association.
Ibrahim said in part, “The video trending showing Admiral Murtala Nyako with AFAN Executives is a farce because the crowd is not representative of AFAN which is Nigeria.
“Watch the video and come to your conclusions and live with the knowledge garnered therefrom.”
Meanwhile, AFAN has charged the Ibrahim-led NWC and NEC to the Federal High Court in Abuja. Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, was also listed as a defendant.
The Association, in an originating summons dated March 5, 2020, urged the Court to among others, restrain Ibrahim from causing any harm.
“That unless restrained by this Honourable Court, the Defendant will continue to perpetuate their acts of irreparable harm and cause more havoc to the Plaintiff with the lethal capacity to ground its activities against the economic interest of the Country,” the Summon read in part.
