The IBB International Golf and Country Club drama took a new turn yesterday when at least 2,000 members stormed the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, where they signed a petition distancing themselves from a court action, brought by three members of the club against FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
The leadership crisis led to the intervention of the minister, who constituted an Interim Management Committee (IMC) headed by Peter Deshi, and shut down the club indefinitely.
Stakeholders converged on the Golf and Health Signature, Abuja, last week and resolved to sign the petition. The petitioners appealed to Wike to re-open the club.
The action of the petitioners indicated a profound divide within the club, as several of the members exhibited their commitment to lawful engagement with public officials and compliance with the FCT Minister.
It would be recalled that Wike had on April 5, appointed an eight-member Board of Trustees, headed by the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem to replace the former BoT headed by Gen. IBM Haruna.
Wike had stressed that the FCT Administration decided to intervene in the matter because it was resolved to restore order and efficacy to the legendary club, which was plagued by internal issues.
The club’s leadership crisis had elicited governance questions and demands for structural reforms, as some members drummed up support for the intervention of the minister.
However, Ubong Esop Akpan, Tijani Abdulsalam Ogueyi, and Olalere Babasola, who were not satisfied with the move by Wike, secured an interim court order restraining the minister from inaugurating a new BoT and also restraining Justice Dongban-Mensem from presiding over the club’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) scheduled for April 26.
In a bid to restore normalcy, Wike ordered the IMC to take over the management of the club, even as the federal government also deployed men of the Nigeria Police and Department of State Services (DSS) to take over the facility and avert further clashes.
