The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Western Zone elections, held on Thursday, witnessed successful polls in several chapters, but were significantly disrupted by a contentious vote count in the Apapa chapter.
The Apapa chapter elections were declared inconclusive after a discrepancy arose between the number of accredited voters and the ballots cast.
While 108 voters were accredited, a total of 125 votes were counted, sparking immediate outcry and accusations of irregularities.
The resulting uproar led Taiwo Mustapha, Chairman of the ANLCA Board of Trustees (BOT), to declare the Apapa chapter election inconclusive in an effort to restore order.
Despite the Apapa setback, elections proceeded smoothly in other key chapters.
For Tin Can Island Port Chapter, Wale Cole emerged victorious as Chairman, with Odera Innocent elected Vice Chairman, Ovien Michael as Secretary, Ijigade Temitope as Assistant Secretary, Yetunde Ilori as Treasurer, and Onome Adeji as Public Relations Officer.
Sunday Nwarinze was elected Chairman for PTML Chapter, Adekunle Sulaiman as Secretary, Babatunde Adekoya as Vice Chairman, Balogun Sherifat as Assistant Secretary, Adeyemi Haastrup as Treasurer, Sunday Ugeji as Financial Secretary, and Francis Anderson as Public Relations Officer.
Wasiu Abioye emerged as the Chairman for Seme Chapter, Zabairo Ajamat as Vice Chairman, Austin Nwosu as Secretary, Segun Joseph as Treasurer, Rasaq Ibrahim as Financial Secretary, and Okunola Taiwo as Public Relations Officer.
For Kirikiri Lighter Terminal (KLT) Chapter, Chibuzo Ogamba was elected Chairman, Adetola Adesanya as Secretary, Abdulsalam Wasiu as Assistant Secretary, Kayode Ajayi as Treasurer, and Ariyo Grace as Financial Secretary.
Prior to the elections, ANLCA National President, Emenike Nwokeji, acknowledged the inherent tension of election periods but emphasized the importance of a transparent and fair process.
He affirmed the association’s commitment to providing a level playing field for all candidates and members.
“These are leaders that will guide us through and lead us for a period. When you elected us, we promised you that we are going to provide a level playing ground. The leaders that you will have will be elected by you. We are choosing our leaders in the open but anything you feel is wrong, you can point it out,” Nwokeji stated.
He also addressed concerns about potential attempts to manipulate the association, asserting, “The purpose of some people in this election is to hijack ANLCA but I will advise them that ANLCA is too big for anybody to hijack, all of us would serve our tenure and leave, if anybody is thinking that ANLCA would be a division of his office, the person is a liar.”
Nwokeji announced plans for a post-election retreat aimed at re-orienting members on proper conduct. He also urged the newly elected leaders to be magnanimous in victory and encouraged those who were unsuccessful to remain hopeful for future opportunities.
