One would have thought that with time Ejike Asiegbu, one time
president of Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) and celebrated actor, Emeka
Ike would sheath their swords and forget hurts of the past. However,
recent encounters with the two indicate that they still bear grudges and
have unsavory impressions of one another.
It was Ejike who fired the first salvo, describing the continuous
legal battle Emeka is waging against the guild’s leadership over the
position of presidency as ‘unnecessary’ and labeling him (Emeka)
a‘nuisance’. In an exclusive interview, Ejike further stated: “I hate to
discuss him because he has no case as far as I’m concerned. He’s just
seeking attention. The Bible says, ‘You shall know the truth and the
truth shall set you free’. As far as I’m concerned, he is a non-issue.
What he says he is fighting for, we already did during my
administration. You cannot seek power illegally anywhere.
On several occasions, Emeka has tried to scuttle the administration.
No one is bigger than the association. He has shown through his action
that he is bigger than everybody in Nollywood. To that I say, he is not,
he cannot. My talking about Emeka Ike is giving him some weight. He is a
non-starter. He should follow due process. Emeka Ike is not important.
He is a nuisance.” On his part, Emeka Ike who has been involved in power
tussles with the guild since Ejike’s tenure as president described the
latter as a ‘frustrated loser and an Igbo man with unforgiving spirit’.
Hear him: “I don’t want to join issues with Ejike. He is frustrated,
sore and a loser. At this level, I cannot be discussing Ejike. I am into
bigger things. My school, Making Youth Academy West Africa in Ghana
recently graduated over 40 ex-militants. We are on the verge of going to
Hollywood to shoot a movie with them and 50 Cent. Aside working as a
consultant with the Federal Government, I am also working with them on
re-integration. So, Ejike is not worth my attention.”
Emeka went on to say that everyone in Ejike’s camp had seen the light
and turned around to support his quest to wrestle power from the hands
of the Board of Trustee (BOT) of the guild. “Ejike has an unforgiving
spirit; he is an Igbo man seeking to bring his brother down. Others have
turned around. Emeka Rising and Uchendu are with us in this fight; only
Ejike is going about attacking us on the pages of newspapers. I have
met with Ibinabo Fiberesima (president of the guild) to make it clear
that this is not a battle against her.
We need to safeguard the future of our children from the old men who
parade themselves as members of the Board of Trustees.” In 2009/2010,
Emeka Ike, Kanayo O. Kanayo and Segun Arinze teamed up with the BOT to
oust Ejike Asiegbu from office. Emeka fell out with the team after what
he described as a ‘kangaroo election’ produced Segun Arinze as the
Guild’s president.
He has since then filed several lawsuits against the association,
saying that the BOT had no right to conduct the election. According to
Emeka Ike, his fight is not about being the president of the
association, but against the BOT, which he claimed registered the guild
as a private company and has manipulated the constitution to keep its
members perpetually in power.
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