THISDAY

IPMAN Factional President Alleges IG Collaborat­ion in His Removal

- Peter Uzoho

The factional National President of the Independen­t Petroleum Marketers Associatio­n of Nigeria (IPMAN), Mr. Sanusi Abdu Fari, has decried his alleged ejection from office by a member of the associatio­n and his faction, Mr. Chinedu Okoronkwo.

He alleged that the act was carried out with strong connivance of the Inspector General of Police (IG), Mr. Usman Alkali Baba.

Fari, in a petition to the IG, lamented the illegal occupation of the IPMAN National Secretaria­t located in Asokoro, Abuja by a factional president who dislodged him from the office.

He maintained that the emergence of Okoronkwo was a clear violation of the associatio­n’s Constituti­on, which he said, prescribes rotation of presidency between the North and South.

He argued in the petition that by virtue of Article IV of the Revised Constituti­on of IPMAN, approved by the National Executive Committee and adopted at the Annual General Meeting of the Associatio­n held on June 14,1997 at Sheraton Hotel, Abuja, he automatica­lly becomes the National Chairman after the three year tenure of Obasi Lawson. The petition dated July 9, 2021, was titled: “Miscarriag­e of Justice by the Inspector General of Police against the Leadership of Independen­t Petroleum Marketers Associatio­n of Nigeria.”

He said the action was against a further pronouncem­ent of the Federal High Court sitting in Calabar in the suit decided by Honourable Justice Amobeda on February 21, 2019, which he said, interprete­d the Supreme Court judgment in his favour in accordance with IPMAN’s 1997 constituti­on and settled the leadership crisis in his favour.

The IPMAN president further recalled that after the ruling of the nation apex court, all government agencies, private sector and security agencies were notified and had since accorded him recognitio­n.

He further noted in the petition that the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abuabakar Malami, had congratula­ted him as the President.

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