Hotel and record label owner, Predy Wise’s dream of gaining legitimacy as President of a faction of  the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN) was pretty messed up last Tuesday when his much publicised swearing in ceremony was shunned by Barrister Fred Agbaje.

Abiodun and Predy Wise

Fred Agbaje the man who fought the former illegal PMAN executive led by Tee Mac in the courts and gained victory for the current President of PMAN, Admiral Dele Abiodun was absent from his own chamber where the purported swearing in ceremony was to hold.

Instead the new executives were sworn in by the factional General Secretary, Barrister Odetoyinbo who was hurriedly drafted to save the day..

The event raised questions in the industry as to when and where the election that brought Predy Wise and his executives members to power took place.

Only on Wednesday, February 26, 2011, musicians from different parts of the country had gathered in Osogbo, Osun State for their convention and general election.

At a grand congress that was declared opened by Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, veteran juju musician, Admiral Dele Abiodun was re-elected for another term of two years. He beat, by a wide margin, Predy Wise who had contested the presidency against him.

And since then, Abiodun and his executives have been sitting regale at the PMAN secretariat in Ikeja, Lagos working day and night to fashion the way forward for the association.

Admiral Abiodun whose election was endorsed by the two former presidents, King Sunny Ade and Chief Anthony Okoroji has in recent times been guest of President, Goodluck Jonathan. He was at the function were President Jonathan hosted Nigerian entertainers on a night, where issues were raised on ways to move the industry forward.

However, those who had come to witness the swearing-in of Predy Wise’s faction were taken aback as the whole thing turned  an anti-climax when Mr. Agbaje who had been publicly announced as the man to administer the oath of office was no where to be found.  To save faces, the faction’s general secretary, Barrister Odetoyinbo was hurriedly drafted to conduct the swearing-in.

Meanwhile, Dele Abiodun has described Predy Wise and his executives as a bunch of jokers. “I pity Predy Wise. This is somebody who contested against me and lost. Yet, he came back to Lagos and allowed himself to be misled by jobless people. All what they want is his money, and after they have sucked him dry, they will abandon him. Mark my words. They are all jokers. They won’t get anywhere,” Abiodun says.