Leadership Tussle: Petroleum marketers warn of trouble, ask police to intervene

“We are calling on the Nigeria Police Force to ensure that such persons are apprehended to forestall breakdown of law and order.”

News Agency of Nigeria • January 14, 2022

Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN)

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has warned of a possible breach of public peace amidst leadership tussle, calling on the police to wade in.

IPMAN stated that there was no leadership change in the association’s national executive, whose tenure will elapse on December 14, 2023, but expressed worry that there were efforts to destabilise the association.

“We are in a country guided by laws, and the judgment of the Supreme Court must be obeyed as the final arbiter of cases in Nigeria,” explained the IPMAN spokesman. “So for anybody to now claim that he is handing over IPMAN leadership to another person means that they are in for contempt of court.”

The statement added, “Their action can lead to disturbance of public peace, and we are calling on the Nigeria Police Force to ensure that such persons are apprehended to forestall breakdown of law and order.”

Yakubu Suleiman, IPMAN’s spokesman, disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday.

Mr Suleiman said the clarification was necessitated by moves by some persons to install another national executive for IPMAN in violation of the Supreme Court judgment on the association’s executive.

He added that IPMAN had no faction because the issue had been settled by a Supreme Court judgement delivered in Abuja on December 14, 2018.

According to him, the judgment by Justice Musa Muhammad in suit No. SC15/2015 recognised Chinedu Okoronkwo and Danladi Pasali as president and secretary of IPMAN, respectively.

Mr Suleiman noted that the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, had also ensured the enforcement of the judgment.

Mr Suleiman said it was unfortunate that some persons, not IPMAN members by virtue of their operations in the industry, were causing disunity among petroleum marketers.

He added that IPMAN would continue to support the efforts of the government and other stakeholders in the industry to ensure that Nigerians continue to enjoy a regular supply of petroleum products across the country.

(NAN)