Police probe cleared me of alleged misconduct, says Pretty Okafor on PMAN leadership crisis

Pretty Okafor has addressed the crisis within the Performing Musicians Employers Association of Nigeria (PMAN).

In a speech at the PMAN secretariat in Lekki, Lagos, on Wednesday, Okafor said he has been cleared of all allegations of financial misconduct after a police investigation.

The crisis within PMAN began in 2024, when the national working committee (NWC) suspended Okafor over alleged financial misconduct, among other offences.

The NWC also appointed Sunny Neji, who has served as the first vice president, to act as president.

A few weeks later, the NEC announced the indefinite suspension of Ruggedman and other members, including Neji, Zaaki Azzay, and JFO Baba Ojonorgua.

The council later established a five-member national disciplinary committee (NDC) to investigate Okafor’s suspension and the allegations against him.

NEC said findings by the disciplinary committee revealed that members of the NWC had “attempted to undermine the association’s integrity”.

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Okafor stated there was “no form of financial misconduct, forgery, or breach of the PMAN constitution”.

The singer narrated that he was overseas when some members of the NWC instigated allegations of financial misappropriation against him.

He said the committee members did not align with the constitutional provision of the association.

Okafor revealed that Neji, Zakky Azzay, and Michael Stephen, the singer better known as Ruggedman, voluntarily vacated their official positions.

He added that their vacated offices will be filled in acting capacity according to Article 11(m).

Okafor also alleged that during the crisis, some police officers and court officials connived to initiate fake legal proceedings.

“In furtherance of their scheme, these dismissed and suspended members of PMAN, in active collaboration with Fruitful Mekwunye and George Dureke, and using them as fronts, procured a fraudulent consent judgment in Suit No.? NICN/LA/360/2024 by deceitfully making George Dureke, Fruitful Mekwunye and 12 others sue themselves and pretend to have resolved the dispute,” Okafor said.

“They never served PMAN at our publicly known registered national address. Instead, they served themselves using the address of the infamously discredited Lobby D, National Arts Theatre, which did not exist in PMAN’s reckoning.”

Okafor also revealed that fraudulent activities were involved in negotiating PMAN’s Monaco project with the developer.

He added that PMAN would establish an Asset Management Company to safeguard PMAN’s properties and investments.

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