By Ameh Ejekwonyilo
Abuja
An Abuja High Court will this Wednesday rule on the lingering leadership tussle rocking the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN).
Justice Valentine Ashi, the presiding judge had earlier granted an order restraining the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and his Commissioner of Police in charge of the FCT Command, Mr. Mbu Joseph Mbu from interfering with or disrupting the operations, activities and affairs of the National Executives/Officials of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
The court had while ruling on the exparte application brought by the newly elected National Executive /officials, led by Elder Chinedu Okoronkwo, Justice Ashi further restrained the defendants privies from conducting, organizing, supervising or carrying out any election of the National Executive/Officials of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
The defendants in the suit are Chief Obasi Lawson; the Inspector General of Police and the Commissioner of Police (FCT Command), while the plaintiffs also include Alhaji Abubakar Maigani Shetima, Bola Adeleke; Chief Leo Nkameme; Alh. Hammed Adkunle Fashola, Alh. Umar Baba Kano, Chief Ezewesili Maduagwuna and Alh. Yakubu Suleman.
The court further restrained the defendants from gaining access to or entering the premises known and situate at No. 11 Gnasimgbe Eyadema Street, Asokoro district, Abuja same being the National Secretariat of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IMPAN pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on notice.
Justice Ashi however directed the plaintiffs to enter a bond with the registrar of the court to pay damages to the defendants should it turn out that the order granted ought not to have been granted in the first place.
When the matter came up for hearing, Chief Obasi Lawson moved an application challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the matter.
He informed the court that the subject matter was already before the Port-Harcourt division of the court of Appeal and his court therefore lacked the powers to adjudicate over the same issue.
IPMAN has been going through a leadership tussle over which factional national president should be recognized. As a result of the crisis, the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) sometime ago shut down NIPCO, a subsidiary of IPMAN, leading to total paralysis of commercial activities and threatening distribution of petroleum products across the country.
The crisis reached a crescendo two weeks ago following the decision of a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital which declared Chief Obasi Lawson as national president of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN).
The litigations occasioned by the serial crises in the petroleum marketers union initially started since 1999 when the Alhaji Felande faction seconded by Obasi Lawson and Aminu Adulkadir engaged themselves first in a legal battle for the battle of who takes over from Eng. Runsewe after the fall out of the crises ridden elections.
At the end, Aminu was declared and sworn as the national president of the association.
The decision of the Port-Harcourt division of the Federal high court was consequent upon a suit instituted by some members of the association against the leadership led by Alhaji Abdulkadir Aminu of IPMAN and challenged its legality to function in that capacity as executives of the association.
Chief Lawson who was soon after the court declaration started functioning as the national president of a faction of IPMAN, has however been alleged to have had a hand in the shutting down of the
NIPCO, the investment arm of the association by the internal Nigeria Union of Petroleum & Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) last week.
He however, described the allegation as false, insisting that he has never instigated NUPENG NIPCO branch to call of their workers adding that the workers only did so in protest of the leadership of the then Aminu IPMAN.
However, Alhaji Aminu had Wednesday stepped aside as the national president of IPMAN, the association he led in the past five years. He has since handed over to his former deputy national president Elder Chinedu Okoronkwo.
The decision by the Aminu led IPMAN was the outcome of the meeting in Abuja Wednesday at the instance of the PPMC which issues of amended constitution of the association.
According to the revised IPMAN constitution, it is the board of trustees of the association that is expected to conduct the election but unfortunately the new board of trustees had not be constituted before Aminu stepped down thus likely to create a lacuna.
Under the new constitution which was also subject of litigations at the federal High Court in Port Harcourt but which was nullified by the court.
The old constitution which Aminu led Executive claimed had beenamended created room for the newly approved President according tocourt order to organize the election.
Obasi was the Vice president of Alhaji Felande who took over from Engr Runsewe following the expiration of his tenure after the 1997 congress.
