21st March, 2014
Kayode Aponmade
As the crisis rocking the Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners, ANTP, lingers, members of both Dele Odule and Victor Ashaolu factions in Mushin chapter clashed recently at a ceremony organized to honour the wife of Mushin local government chairman, Mrs Adepitan.
The clash, which almost marred the ceremony, was said to have been caused by jurisdiction of the organisers of the ceremony who were alleged to be members of the Dele Odule faction, which recently formed a parallel association named Theatre and Movie Practitioners Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN).
Alhaji Luqman Adeoye, a.k.a Joker, the new chairman of ANTP, Mushin LGA, told P.M.NEWS Entertainment Cafe that it was illegal for them to organise an event where they were parading themselves as ANTP members.
He described their action as defying the 30 January ruling of the Oyo State High Court, Ibadan, which ordered them to hand over to Comrade Victor Ashaolu’s faction of the ANTP.
“When the recipient, Mrs Adepitan was contacted, we advised her not to recognise them. But the woman said that she was confused because she does not know who is who among the warring factions and every arrangement has been completed for the event to hold,” Adeoye stated.
It was gathered that the ceremony was however held amid tension as members of both factions were present. It was the prompt intervention of security operatives from Zone ‘D’ Police Command that saved the situation as members of both factions led by Akeem Alimi and Luqman Adeoye were invited to the police command to settle the matter.