PATRICK ABANG, Calabar –
There was a mile drama on Tuesday morning as armed police men invaded the Cross River State Chapter of The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN).
This action led to protest by the Cross River State Indegenous Depot Workers Association (CRIWA) who carry out various banner with inscription “Police stop oppressing us, Commissioner of police leave us alone, Edet Umanah stop go to Akwa Ibom etc.
Speaking to our correspondent in the present of stern looking policemen who threaten Journalist to leave the place that they are under the directive of the Federal Government, the State Chairman of (IPMAN), Robert Obi said the Nigerian Police are disobeying court order restraining them from carrying out any action against IPMAN.
Also speaking the Special Adviser to Governor Ben Ayade on Petroleum, Peter Abang Okim, said what ever judgement the police are enforcing, the state will not accept any other person to be Chairman of IPMAN in Calabar except he is an indigen of Cross River State.
A legal practitioner to Cross River State IPMAN, Daniel Mgbe told our correspondent that top police officers in Abuja are fueling IPMAN, leadership crisis in South East zone.
South East zone of IPMAN comprises of Enugu, Aba, Rivers and Calabr with over 40 depots and 1, 000 petrol stations with about 2, 000 members.
Recalled that the zone has been factionalised between Chief Obasi Lawson and Elder Chinedu Okoronkwo both from Abia State, over who is the authentic National President of IPMAN.
Investigations by our correspondent have revealed that some top echelon of police have discreetly aligned themselves to a Okoronkwo-led factional IPMAN leadership who are bent in taking control of the association within the zone.
But the Supreme Court had in a judgment in Suit No SC/15/2018 delivered on December 14, 2018 and its subsequent interpretation by Federal High Court Calabar dated June 19, 2019 recognised automatic succession of the Deputy National President, Sanusi Abdu Fari, as National President of IPMAN, based on 1997 constitution of the association as against of one Chinedu Okoronkwo.
Following that judgements, the Atorney General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, had in a letter dated January 4, 2019 and sent to Rivers IPMAN Chairman led by Richard Orianwo, acknowledged and congratulated Alh Sanusi Fari as the Preaident of IPMAN following Supreme Court judgment.
He, therefore, advised “the association and all parties to abide by the Supreme Court and the Federal High Court interpretation on the matter and condemned any acts of contempt of court and the attendant proactive disputes that are escalating tensions and violence in the hist community and thus threatening lives and property by any member or organ of IPMAN.” This letter was also copied to Elder Chinedu Okoronkwo for attention.
In the same vein, the Hon Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timire Sylva, in a letter dated January 27, 2020 congratulated Engr Sanusi Abdu Fari and promised to work with the new leadership.
Even the legal department of Inspector-General of Police headed by CP Daso Oruebo had advised police to recognise the leadership of Alh Fari and withdraw from the occupation of National Secretariat in Abuja in compliance with the court orders which incidentally should be extended to other branches having emerged from the same process.
However, in spite of these, officers on the order DIG Egbunike have set up a team of officers loyal to him and they have continued to terrorise and invade IPMAN officers in this zone and in the process attempting to dethrone constituted leadership.
In a letter he wrote to the Commissioner of Police, Department of Finance and Administration, State Command Headquarters, Port Harcourt, and dated July 23, 2021, Egbunike had advised the command “to give effect to to the Supreme Court judgment by ensuring that the parties favoured by the judgment are five areas to IPMAN office and adequate security provided to maintain peace and order.”
A closer look at the letter showed that DIG Egbunike refused to mention the beneficiary of the judgment, Alh Sanusi Abdu Fari as the new National President and other branches chairman in the same league with Fari, thereby creating room for misinterpretation and subsequent confusion.
It was further learnt that based on that lacuna, Okoronkwo and his men allegedly working with the DIG and with amended policemen, moved into IPMAN secretariats in Enugu and Port Harcourt and chased the away the constituted leadership and carted away form valuable documents belonging to the association, thereby throwing another round of crisis capable of causing industrial crisis.
A source close to police Headquarters confided in our correspondent that DIG Egbunikebis is not working alone as they are other officers who are discreetly benefitting financially from the crisis.
The source said, “writing such a letter without referring to the names of the beneficiaries is tantamount to undermine the Supreme Court judgment and Calabar Federal High Court interpretation”.
Following the latest invasion, The Calabar Depot chairman of IPMAN, Robert Obi, said it is becoming a habit by the police to not only harass the leadership and attempt to impose a factional leadership even when the issues centering on who is the authentic chairmen and national president have been settled by Supreme Court.
According to him, rather than police authorities enforcing the orders and restoring peace in the association in Eastern zone, they are rather igniting fire and trying to impose a leadership on the members, especially in Calabar Depot, thereby creating an unknown faction to take over our secretariat at Calabar Depot.
He said: “We want to draw the attention of the general public to the continued harassment of our leadership and some members of IPMAN in the name of enforcing a directive by a top Deputy Inspector-General of Police. We were surprised that on Thursday, 29, 2021 abot 6;00pm, a police team from Federal Housing stormed our secretariat and tried to force us out and install an illegal leadership.
“When we confronted them they told us they got orders from above to come and take over our office at Calabar Depot. And if this act of impunity continues, we shall not hesitate to withdraw our services because the police have no business in how we run our affairs; neither do they have the right to determine who and who our members are.
“Our last option is to embark on an indefinite strike in the days ahead. It is the economy and the public that would suffer the consequences of the strike as other branches would not hesitate to join us in the fight to liberate IPMAn in the zone. So, we call on the federal government and police auhourities to call their men to order.
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