ANA sets up new electoral committee

The Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) has announced a new electoral committee consisting of former presidents of the association and selected female members. They include Dr. Jerry Agada as chairman, Prof. Olu Obafemi, Dr. Wale Okediran, Odia Ofeimun, Prof. Remi Raji, Prof. Akachi Ezeigbo, and Prof May Nwoye. This was revealed in a letter signed […]

The Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) has announced a new electoral committee consisting of former presidents of the association and selected female members. They include Dr. Jerry Agada as chairman, Prof. Olu Obafemi, Dr. Wale Okediran, Odia Ofeimun, Prof. Remi Raji, Prof. Akachi Ezeigbo, and Prof May Nwoye.

This was revealed in a letter signed by Prof. Femi Osofisan, chairman of the ANA Advisory Council.

The letter said that the electoral committee set up to handle the elections “was illegal, and is hereby dissolved,” adding that “nowhere is it the norm, nor has it ever been our practice, for candidates at an election to be the ones to nominate the electoral committee. At best they can nominate their observers to supervise and defend their interests, but not to directly handle the election itself.”

It also said the new electoral committee is free to make its own rules and co-opt whoever it needs to carry out its assignment successfully. Members are equally free to send suggestions and ideas, but the committee is in no way bound to accept or be guided by them.

In addition, it is now entirely within the prerogative of the committee to decide who shall be allowed to contest for the available posts. “Thus, for instance, they will decide whether any of the contentious candidates who brought us into ignominy shall be allowed to participate in the new process; whether a new voting list of qualified members is needed from the chapters; or, indeed, whether the new officers to be chosen shall be in office only in an interim capacity, till the next convention, or shall be considered formally approved as de facto officers,” the letter said.

Prof. Osofisan called on members to desist from “accusations and counter-accusations, all exchange of bitter insults and recrimination, and so on, that are going on now over the social media in particular.”

ANA’s constitution mandates that, in a situation where elections do not take place, the advisory council should take over the running of the association’s affairs for a maximum of 180 days, and to organise within the period the proper election of officers.

The 2019 ANA International Annual Convention took place from October 31 to November 3 in Enugu. The association’s constitution stipulates that elections into various positions, including that of the presidency, take place every two years. On the last day of this year’s convention, however, elections failed to take place due to some controversy regarding the process of electing the president.