IPMAN's Leadership Crisis Worsens
As the crisis of leadership rocking the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, continues unabatedly, an Abuja High Court on Wednesday nullified the emergence of Chief Obasi Lawson as the association's national president and declared Elder Chinedu Okoronkwo as the authentic national President of IPMAN.
The court's decision was sequel to a suit filed by Elder Chinedu Okoronkwo and 10 other members of the oil marketers association against the Chief Obasi Lawson led faction.
A federal high court siting in Port Harcourt and presided by Justice Lambo Akanbi had in March nullified the continued stay in office by a former national president of the association, Alhaji Aminu Abubakar, and subsequently declared Chief Lawson Obasi as the group's substantive national president.
Irked by the decision of the Port Harcourt court, Elder Okoronkwo and his group filed a notice of appeal as well as a motion on notice for stay of the court's judgment and thereafter approached the Abuja court and specifically sought for a restraining order stopping Obasi from parading himself as the national president of IPMAN pending the determination of the appeal.
The Abuja court presided by Justice Valentine Ashi, noted that with the pending appeal and notice of motion for stay over the Port Harcourt court decision, that Obasi's hands had become tied from performing and running the affairs of IPMAN as its national president.
Justice Ashi held that Obasi has violated the motion for stay, which requires a restorative or mandatory order to be made to correct the anomaly.
"Despite the motion for stay restraining the 1st defendant from assuming and discharging functions as national president of IPMAN, the 1st defendant has acted in breach of relevant laws as laid down by superior courts of records" the court said of Obasi's conducts.
"In consideration of these, this court has entered judgment in favour of the plaintiff (Okoronkwo). This suit has merit and succeeds accordingly" the court ruled.
The court further observed that there was a stalemate in the national leadership of IPMAN, and therefore held that the election of the plaintiff, Okoronkwo, is valid and stands. It ordered that Chief Obasi is hereby restrained from parading as national executives of IPMAN or doing anything that would impede the operation of the association.
It also ordered Chief Obasi to vacate office to enable Chief Okoronkwo and his faction to have access to the national secretariat of IPMAN and warned Obasi to desist from taking any step aimed at jeopardizing the leadership of Okoronkwo nor conduct any election under IPMAN.
Meanwhile, the Obasi Lawson faction, according to the faction's Assistant national secretary, Mr. Austin Irabor, has taken steps to arrest the execution of the decision of the Abuja court through a motion for stay of execution as well as notice of apeal which the faction however filed to perfect their filings at the court's registry as at the time of filing this report.
The court's decision was sequel to a suit filed by Elder Chinedu Okoronkwo and 10 other members of the oil marketers association against the Chief Obasi Lawson led faction.
A federal high court siting in Port Harcourt and presided by Justice Lambo Akanbi had in March nullified the continued stay in office by a former national president of the association, Alhaji Aminu Abubakar, and subsequently declared Chief Lawson Obasi as the group's substantive national president.
Irked by the decision of the Port Harcourt court, Elder Okoronkwo and his group filed a notice of appeal as well as a motion on notice for stay of the court's judgment and thereafter approached the Abuja court and specifically sought for a restraining order stopping Obasi from parading himself as the national president of IPMAN pending the determination of the appeal.
The Abuja court presided by Justice Valentine Ashi, noted that with the pending appeal and notice of motion for stay over the Port Harcourt court decision, that Obasi's hands had become tied from performing and running the affairs of IPMAN as its national president.
Justice Ashi held that Obasi has violated the motion for stay, which requires a restorative or mandatory order to be made to correct the anomaly.
"Despite the motion for stay restraining the 1st defendant from assuming and discharging functions as national president of IPMAN, the 1st defendant has acted in breach of relevant laws as laid down by superior courts of records" the court said of Obasi's conducts.
"In consideration of these, this court has entered judgment in favour of the plaintiff (Okoronkwo). This suit has merit and succeeds accordingly" the court ruled.
The court further observed that there was a stalemate in the national leadership of IPMAN, and therefore held that the election of the plaintiff, Okoronkwo, is valid and stands. It ordered that Chief Obasi is hereby restrained from parading as national executives of IPMAN or doing anything that would impede the operation of the association.
It also ordered Chief Obasi to vacate office to enable Chief Okoronkwo and his faction to have access to the national secretariat of IPMAN and warned Obasi to desist from taking any step aimed at jeopardizing the leadership of Okoronkwo nor conduct any election under IPMAN.
Meanwhile, the Obasi Lawson faction, according to the faction's Assistant national secretary, Mr. Austin Irabor, has taken steps to arrest the execution of the decision of the Abuja court through a motion for stay of execution as well as notice of apeal which the faction however filed to perfect their filings at the court's registry as at the time of filing this report.
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