Victor EzejaMEMBERS of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has been urged to Ignore the directive to withdraw their services from Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) loading depot in Enugu.
The factional Presisdent of IPMAN, Alhaji Sanusi Fari had issued a directive on Thursday asking members to withdraw services in response to an alleged invasion and attack of IPMAN secretariat in Enugu depot by officers of the Nigeria Police Force.
The National Secretary of IPMAN, Alhaji Danladi Pasali discountenanced the directive noting that it came from “unknown persons” and called on members of IPMAN in the South-East zone and all other zones to disregard such order as it did not come from legally known leader of the association.
Pasali said, “A purported plan shutdown of services in Southeast by unknown persons, has come to the notice of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), which we categorically disassociate ourselves from and outrightly appeal to all members of IPMAN in the zone and all other zones to discard such fake information.
“It is instructive to state that IPMAN did not hold any National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, talk less of resolving to shut down services in the Southeast, contrary to what an impostor President has allegedly said in his statement of Thursday, 16 September 2021.”
Pasali explained that police visit to the Enugu secretariat was an intervention in the right direction to enforce rules of law as directed by the office of Deputy Inspector-General of Police who investigated and found out the supreme court judgment of December 2018, actually affirmed the leadership of Chinedu Okoronkwo as the legitimate President of IPMAN.
He applauded Attorney-General of the Federation and the Police for their intervention in leadership crisis that beset the association, which according to him, led to confusion of some of their members mainly in the Southeast on whose leadership to follow.
In chat with Prime Business on Friday, President of IPMAN had stated that what happened in Southeast was that some members did not obey court judgment by recognizing his leadership, warranting police to come and enforce the court order.
“This people (referring to some marketers) don’t want to obey Supreme Court, and police have come to enforce it based on the judgment of Supreme Court. Some of them who are not even members of IPMAN are going round threatening people to shutdown,” Okoronkwo had said.
Pasali called on members especially in Southeast to continue with their normal operations and disregard any directive not coming from the appropriate authority.
He said, “we reiterate our call on our members to be law-abiding, shun any information/directives that do not emanate from our Secretariat, either endorsed by the legitimate President, Elder Chinedu Okoronkwo or by any executive member as may be directed by the President.
“We further call on all members to jettison any call or plan shutdown of services, as no contemplation was made to that effect, while also appealing to the general public particularly those in South-East not to panic.”
It would be recalled that IPMAN had been engulfed in Leadership crisis after the election that brought in New executives in 2014, which eventually resulted in litigation from the lower court to supreme court in 2018 with a ruling in favour of Okoronkwo.
The Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department (FCIID) under the directive of the Inspector General of Police had said it would act on the interpretation of the apex court judgment based on the advice of the Attorney General of the Federation on the matter which was that Okoronkwo is the legally recognized leader of IPMAN, adding that any other person parading as a leader of IPMAN was an impostor and would face the law.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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