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From Okwe Obi, Abuja
One of Nigeria’s agricultural value chain, cashew, is in distress, owing to the raging leadership impasse between Ademola Adesokan and Ojo Ajanaku, as both lay claims to be the authentic National President of the National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN).
The fracas has created a vacuum as investors from Ghana, India and other countries are pulling out of importation and exportation deals, which is already affecting the commodity because of poor storage and warehousing cost.
The crisis heightened recently when Ajanaku convened a stakeholders’ engagement and Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of NCAN and announced the suspension of the Board of Trustee Chairman, Irezondu Sunny Stevenson, and the BOT Secretary, Abraham Adesida, and referred their conduct to the disciplinary committee for investigation.
Also, his faction resolved to formally write to the Minister for Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI), Dr Olajumoke Oduwole, requesting ministerial neutrality pending judicial determination of the leadership dispute within NCAN.
Expectedly, Adesokan did not find his audacity funny. He fired back, and labeled Ajanku’s actions as “invalid and contrary to a subsisting court judgment.”
Adesokan, who claimed to have emerged as president at the association’s Annual General Meeting in Lagos on January 20, 2026, said Ajanaku’s tenure expired in November 2022 in line with NCAN’s 2007 constitution, which provides for a single three-year term.
According to him, Ajanaku’s tenure expired in 2022, clarifying that a person whose tenure had expired cannot validly exercise disciplinary powers over members or trustees.
He said: “Ajanaku has no authority to expel me or suspend the BoT leadership. His tenure has long ended, and any such actions are invalid.”
Adesokan anchored his position on a Consent Judgment delivered by the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, on November 9, 2019, in Suit No. FCT/HC/CV/439/2016.
He argued that the judgment, delivered by Justice O. A. Musa, directed NCAN to revert to its 2007 constitution and affirmed that Ajanaku’s tenure, along with that of his executive council, ended in November 2022.
“You cannot override a court judgment with a press conference or meeting resolution. Authority in NCAN comes from law and structure, not claims. This is not a contest of opinions, it is a matter of a subsisting legal framework.
“Ajanaku should respect the rule of law and avoid actions capable of misleading stakeholders or destabilising the association”, Adesokan added.
While speaking on the number of trustee members, Adesokan further dismissed claims by Ajanaku that the Board of Trustees had been expanded to eleven members, describing the assertion as unfounded and inconsistent with official records.
“Claims of expanding the Board of Trustees to eleven members have no basis in the association’s registered structure and have not been validated by any competent authority.
“After all five BoT unanimously back Adesokan’s, election, Ajanaku suddenly claimed he added BOT to 11.
“What we have is an ex president who doesn’t want to leave for his personal interests not the betterment of the industry after serving 4 years over his legal tenure,” he said.
He, however, cited certified records from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), which confirm that NCAN has five legally recognised trustees.
He noted that certified records from the Corporate Affairs Commission confirm the legally recognised trustees of the association, like Tunji Owoeye, Bode Omoyeni, Sonie Stevenson, Ade Adesida, and Tola Faseru, whom he described as the original founders of the association.
“The Board of Trustees of NCAN remains as duly constituted and recognised, and any attempt to suspend or replace trustees outside due legal process has no effect,” he added.
On the role of government, Adesokan clarified that the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment has warned that any action taken in violation of a subsisting court judgment constitutes a breach of the law and could attract legal consequences.
To this end, he said the Ministry in a letter dated April 1, 2026, stressed that all parties must adhere strictly to the terms of the existing court ruling.
He warned that the ongoing leadership tussle could have broader implications for the cashew sector.
“At a time when the cashew sector requires stability and coordinated policy engagement, actions that create parallel structures and confusion risk undermining investor confidence and farmer welfare,” Adesokan stated.
Adesokan also defended his leadership credentials, highlighting his experience in the cashew value chain as a processor and investor.
According to him, the association requires leadership grounded in practical industry experience, adding that Nigerian needs to move away from shipping out raw commodities and add values to local commodities which is in line with President Bola Tinubu’s vision.
Reiterating his position, he called on Ajanaku to respect the court ruling and desist from actions he described as undermining NCAN’s legal framework.
“I have certified copies of evidence, both visuals and papers to back up whatever I have said here including letter from the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment addressed to Ajanaku to stop parading himself as the National President of NCAN,” he added.
