The National Executive of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) have called for the prosecution of the Farouk Mudi Lawal faction for operating under a separately registered AFAN, an act which is not recognised by the organisation’s constitution.
According to AFAN National President, Arc Kabir Ibrahim: “for illegally registering ALL FARMERS ASS0CIATION OF NIGERIA KANO STATE CHAPTER Rc. 93484 dated 22nd, December, 2016 TO OUST ALL FARMERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGRIA RC. 18160 registered in 2003 they should be incarcerated.
“It is criminal and the perpetrators should face the full wrath of the law instead of parading themselves as leaders with the support of very senior public officers shamelessly,” Ibrahim said.
He said “the law does not allow Farouk Rabiu Mudi and his cohorts to parade themselves as AFAN leaders, in fact in a normal setting, they are in breach of the law and should be prosecuted.”
Recall that AFAN which is a registered Non-Governmental Organisation, is national in outlook and boasts of registered members in all the 774 local government areas in the country and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and was given recognition by the then administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo, who brought three tendencies of farmer associations namely FOFAN, NFAN and PFAN under an umbrella called ALFAN and later AFAN.
According to Ibrahim, Farouk Rabiu Mudi after losing the chapter election in 2016 to Alhaji Abdurrashid Magaji Rimingado in July, illegally registered All Farmers Association of Nigeria Kano State Chapter RC 93484 dated 22nd December, 2016 with the following Trustees: Faruk Rabiu Mudi; Garba Ahmed Bichi; Munzali Dayyabu Taura; Kamal Abdulkadir Mustapha; Zubairu Ibrahim and Sanusi Baffa.
“He did this without the consent of All Farmers Association of Nigeria RC 18160 which had the following Trustees: Rear Admiral Murtala Nyako; Dr Shettima Mustafa; Chief Femi Coker; Sen. Abdullahi Adamu and Prince Ike Ubaka who were appointed to the BOT at the General Assembly of farmers, held in Kano between 11th and 15th September 2011 at the New Library on Ahmadu Bello Way.
Meanwhile in a suit before Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Abuja division of the court, counsel to the Farouk led faction, Modibbo Bakari prayed the court to stop the Kabiru Ibrahim led NWC from parading themselves as executive members of AFAN.
The originating summon marked FHC/ABJ/CS/322/2020, listed Ibrahim, and his NWC as the first defendants, while the Inspector General of Police (IGP) is the second defendant in the case.
Reacting to the suit, Ibrahim said: “When the court eventually sits on this matter it will be very interesting to see what will come out of it as well as what Farouk and his cohorts will tell Nigerians after claiming earlier that they had a ruling when all they served us was the originating summons and their lawyer unprofessionally wrote a letter to our bank asking them to bar us access to our funds.
“Of course, the bank pointedly said to them that only a court could put a lien on the account.
“We reported the lawyer to the NBA and keenly await to see the NBA’s appropriate sanctions on him for his unprofessional conduct.
In reaction to the swearing-in of Farouk as caretaker president of AFAN by, Rear Adm Murtala Nyako, and the former’s appointment by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. Alhaji Sabo Nanono as AFAN’s representative on the special COVID-19 Task Team, Ibrahim said: “Rear Admiral Murtala Nyako, the Chairman of AFAN Board of Trustees, erroneously listened to Farouk and his cohorts without the other BOT members in the living room of his house not knowing they were there to promote their own AFAN not his from above.
“It is nebulous that some of these people are given responsibilities in Nigeria today with our current stance on corruption and real democracy.”
According to media reports, Farouk claimed that he had not done anything wrong by registering the AFAN Kano chapter with CAC, as most business membership organisations like NACCIMA have state chambers that are separately registered.
He further asserts that he was legally constituted by Rear Admiral Nyako, a trustee of AFAN and other state chairmen who were present at the inauguration ceremony.
