not ending anytime soon. About a week after
Actors' Guild of Nigeria president Ibinabo
Fiberesima issued a statement addressing the
constant attack from actress Clarion Chukwura,
saying she was only trying to destabilize AGN,
Clarion is not relenting and has fired back. In an
interview with Punch today, Clarion said Ibinabo
is an ex-convict and therefore not fit to lead
AGN.
"I am not on the same level with Ibinabo
professionally, educationally or in any other
form. I find that she is deliberately
misleading the public and wanting to push
the issues at stake under the table with her
so-called open letter. I will not allow her to
do that.
"Item 'U' of the electoral guideline of AGN
disqualified her. No convicted person can
stand for election in any post. She was
convicted for manslaughter and she was
given a jail sentence which she served.
There is a court injunction stopping Ibinabo
from parading herself as the AGN president.
This is the copy of the judgment. I have it.
Manslaughter has no option of fine. Her
sentence was reduced from seven years to
five years and we all know she went to jail.
The judgment reads in part, 'there is proof
that she drove recklessly and caused the
death of Dr. Sura Giwa contrary to the road
traffic laws of Lagos State.' She was drunk.
How could this person be the face of AGN?"
Continue..
"The court injunction of 2011 and 2013 was
forwarded to the presidency. The criminal
conviction of manslaughter was sent to the
presidency. The president is supposed to be a
symbol of the supremacy of the rule of law. He
disregarded the law in recognising Ibinabo as
president of AGN. The president is now saying
there is no law in this country. So the AGN has
become an ethnic grouping. This is a
professional body of actors. It is not a Niger Delta
solidarity platform," she said.
The actress said she wouldn't have joined
Ibinabo's party to Aso Rock even if she had
invited her, saying,
"Some actors have even explained to me
why they followed her. They said they were
taken there on a fraudulent arrangement
for her to use and get what she wanted.
Would she really have approached me for a
thing like that?"
Clarion alleged that Ibinabo had been going from
one state government house to another to "beg"
for money.
"I have the data of every government house
she has been to. No single chapter has seen
a dime for running the guild. She went to
Ondo State and she was given N500, 000.
What chapter did she inaugurate in Ondo
State? The guild wasn't set up to go
begging from one state government to
another."
Clarion said Ibinabo couldn't have clocked 40
years as she claimed in her letter because,
"In 1989 when she was running Pyramid
Club in Lagos, she was 22. How can she say
25 years later that she is just turning 40? I
have known her a long time. I know what I
am saying when I say she is not a
professional actor."
When reminded that Ibinabo had featured in
some movies, Clarion said,
"That is not what makes you a professional
actor. You have market women in the East
who have acted in one or two movies; that
doesn't make them professional actors. I
will be 35 years in this industry soon. This is
the industry that has made me everything
that I am. I will not stand by and watch it
destroyed. People have placed their trust in
me. I am an activist. People believe that I
will bring justice to bear on this issue
because I am afraid of nobody."
Concerning Ibinabo's allegation that Clarion just
registered as a member of the guild few weeks
ago, the veteran actor said,
"I joined the AGN in 2002. I was part of the
process that brought in Zach Orji as the
president of the guild and thereafter Ejike
Asiegbu. When it was time for Ejike to leave,
the whole thing degenerated. A caretaker
committee was formed with KOK as the
chairman and I as the vice Chairman. These
are my identity cards. I even have a
membership certificate which was signed
by Segun Arinze who was the national
president and Ifeanyi Dike as the BOT
chairperson.
"I went to pay N5000 into the guild's
account as my dues for this year. She
should provide any proof showing that I just
got registered."
Clarion also used the opportunity to fire back at
Ifeanyi Dike, the Chairman of the Board of
Trustees of the guild who she claimed had
maligned her in some publications recently.
"The BOT led by Ifeanyi Dike has been the
same board since the incorporation in
1999. According to the constitution, they
were to serve 10 years and leave for a new
board to replace them. People had become
aware that the BOT members are not men
of integrity and the guild wasn't moving
forward.
"They refused to leave and a court
injunction was obtained in 2011. I have a
copy of the injunction as you can see. The
court injunction prevented them from
holding any election. But they ignored the
injunction and allowed themselves to be
financially induced by Ibinabo to run for the
election."
Clarion said she wasn't attacking Ibinabo
just because she (Clarion) wants to contest
for the AGN presidency.
"The first step is the dissolution of the BOT.
When the time for election comes, there are
several credible people who are prepared to
run for the post. I will give my support to
any credible candidate who wants the
viability of every chapter. I will pass my
plans and ideas to that person. It is not
about me wanting to be president. I will
gladly work and support the new person in
an advisory role."
Culled from Punch
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN
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