PMAN Leadership Crisis Deepens: Legal and Financial Allegations Fuel Power Struggle

An internal dispute within Nigeria’s premier musicians’ union escalates into public view, with competing claims of legitimacy, court orders, and serious financial crime allegations.

Lagos, Nigeria – A bitter leadership crisis has erupted within the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), pitting its acting general secretary against a faction of its National Executive Council (NEC) and raising questions about governance, asset management, and legal authority within the influential union.

The conflict became public after a faction of the PMAN NEC announced the suspension of President Pretty Okafor, who has led the association since 2016 and was re-elected in October 2023. In a swift and forceful rebuttal, Acting General Secretary Elizabeth Gabriel has declared the suspension a “hoax” and a “Christmas Day comedy skit,” insisting Okafor remains the constitutionally and judicially affirmed president.

A Clash of Constitutional Interpretation

At the heart of the dispute lies a fundamental disagreement over procedural legitimacy. Citing the PMAN constitution, Barrister Gabriel argues that the NEC meeting which allegedly suspended Okafor was unlawfully convened. She points to Article 11(G), which mandates that such a meeting must be called by the General Secretary in consultation with the President, with an agenda circulated weeks in advance.

“No such notice was given. No such consultation occurred. Therefore, nothing resembling a lawful NEC meeting happened,” Gabriel stated in her official response, dismissing the event as “WhatsApp cosplay.”

This constitutional argument is bolstered by a legal claim: Gabriel asserts a subsisting order from the National Industrial Court, issued in October 2025, expressly restrains certain individuals from interfering with PMAN’s leadership structure. The alleged suspension, she contends, is a direct violation of that court order.

Allegations of Financial Crimes and a Motive for the “Coup”

Moving beyond procedural arguments, Gabriel’s statement introduces serious allegations that frame the leadership challenge as a desperate maneuver linked to an ongoing financial scandal. She traces the roots of the current instability to a developer known as Mr. Olusco, who was involved with PMAN’s Monaco property in Abuja.

According to the acting secretary, Olusco has been “unlawfully selling units of PMAN’s Monaco property” without legal authority. She claims a specific case involving a ₦350 million joint venture agreement has led to police and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) investigations for obtaining money under false pretenses and criminal breach of trust.

“That is the real reason behind this attempted coup,” Gabriel alleged. “It has nothing to do with governance. It is a desperate, last-ditch effort by individuals who know that… the days of impunity are over.” She further claimed to possess audio evidence of a ₦144 million offer to orchestrate Okafor’s removal.

The Broader Context: Union Governance in Nigeria’s Creative Industry

This public feud highlights the perennial challenges of governance within Nigeria’s creative sector unions, where valuable collective assets, intellectual property rights, and political influence often become flashpoints for conflict. PMAN, representing thousands of musicians, holds significant sway but has historically been plagued by internal divisions.

The crisis raises critical questions about the protection of union assets and the mechanisms for resolving internal disputes. The invocation of the EFCC and court orders suggests the conflict has moved beyond internal politics into the realms of criminal investigation and judicial oversight.

For the average PMAN member, the public airing of allegations about multi-million naira property deals and attempted coups creates uncertainty about who legitimately represents their interests and safeguards their collective resources.

What Comes Next?

The immediate future of PMAN appears to hinge on several external validators:

• The Judiciary: Enforcement and interpretation of the existing National Industrial Court order will be crucial.
• Anti-Graft Agencies: The progress and findings of the EFCC investigation into the Monaco property allegations could legitimize or discredit one side of the conflict.
• The Registrar of Trade Unions: This government body, which was also named in the court order, may be forced to intervene to recognize a legitimate leadership.

Gabriel has called for calm among musicians, asserting that “the law is watching.” However, with one faction declaring a new president and the union’s secretariat denouncing it as a criminal conspiracy, a swift resolution seems unlikely. The stability of one of Nigeria’s most important cultural institutions now depends on untangling a complex web of legal, financial, and procedural threads.

Primary Source: This report is based on the original article published by Premium Times.