…Says Caretaker Committee Chair Isn’t Permanent Position
By Nsan Ndoma-Neji, Calabar
The newly inaugurated chairman of the caretaker committee of the Cross River unit of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, Comrade Peter Okim Abang, has chastised the immediate past IPMAN caretaker committee chairman, Comrade Robert Obi, for making deriding comments against his inauguration as new IPMAN chairman in the state.
In a telephone conversation with CompassNG correspndent in Càlabar, on Saturday, while reacting to comments by the former state chairman of IPMAN, Comrade Robert Obi, after issuing a media statement, insisting that he was still in charge of piloting IPMAN’s affairs in the state.
Abang advísed IPMAN members to disregard Obi’s claim as far as the position of lPMAN chairmanship is concerned, stressing that claims put forward by Comrade Obi, regarding his taking over at the helms of affairs remain inconsequential for now.
Abang further stressed that Obi’s tenure as IPMAN chairman had been long over due.
He said, “I’m using this medium to ask Obi and his cohorts to produce documents that made him a substantive IPMAN chairman.
“He should tell us who his national president is. If he can’t tell us who his national president is, then he should stop masquerading as IPMAN chairman in Cross River State, so that his action won’t be tantamount to breakdown of law and order.
“If the letter that Obi and his faction has bears no name of who their national president is, then he should stop parading himself as leader of the association exco so as not to cause breakdown of law and order. Security agents should please take note.
“Going by documents which I have here with me, it shows clearly that the association’s stakeholders and indeed the Supreme Court tells us that Chinedu Okoronkwo is the authentic National Chairman of IPMAN.
“If you critically look at the documents in my possession, you will discover that there is a letter from the Attorney General, AG, with another letter also from the Inspector General of Police, IGP, who after critical perusal, came to conclusion that this is the right faction that can pilot affairs of IPMAN, so that peace can once again return to IPMAN.
“I do not know if they have any of these letters. Let’s assumed letters like these aren’t with them. I wonder why they are still parading themselves as authentic leadership of IPMAN in the state. Let him produce documents that made him and his faction authentic IPMAN chairman, and possibly tell us who his national president is.
“What the young man has done is a clear illegality to our constitution. Leading the association in the capacity of chairman is supposed to be not beyond three months and subject to renewal.
“He is been using caretaker committee fiat, believing that Cross Riverians would still queue behind him as far as the chairmanship position is concerned.
“When he was fighting against a non-indigene, they all stood with him. Unfortunately the rules of the game has changed, because am also an indigene of the state like him.
Abang, who insisted that he remains the authentic chairman of the association, assured that elections would be conducted for contestants to assume position of chairman within his three-month stay as caretaker chairman.
He stressed further that the former chairman, who he described as ‘chairman who had outlived his usefulness as far as piloting IPMAN’s affairs is concerned,’ had lost followership and advised Obi not to cry over spilt milk.
He added, “We can’t continue to run the association on the premise of caretaker committee.
“There must be an election to put an end to this illegality. If you ask him when his tenure will ellapse, hardly can you have a clear answer.
“There is no way one’s caretaker position would have lasted beyond three years; unfortunately his caretaker position lasted up to five years. What he is doing is to cause all these problems so that he can remain perpetuating himself in office.
“We cannot pretend that there is peace. All the people causing crises in IPMAN are doing so, so that they can remain perpetually in office. IPMAN would be united under my watch.”
On strategies that he will adopt in order to give succour to members of IPMAN in Cross River State, Abang vowed to bring to an end multiple taxations imposed on members, even when the market climate is harsh, adding that the office of chairman isn’t a permanent seat.
On claims made by Obi that the association was at the verge of having peace when Abang’s inauguration took place, the newly inaugurated IPMAN’S chair appealed for calm as the association’s leadership was fashioning out strategy to make life meaningful to members.
Abang stated that the sudden alliance between Obi and his former arch-foe was a trick by erstwhile leadership to use a kangaroo approach to destabilize the association.
He said, “Our members are seeking for election so that a famous chairman can emerge.”
On the insinuation that Abang cannot hold a government position like Chairman Taskforce on Petroleum in the state and as well serve in the capacity of lPMAN chairman, Abang said, “I am not an outsider, but also an operator of the sector.”
He advised those accusing him of holding a position in governent and at the same time occupying the seat of IPMAN chair, stressing that being a taskforce chairman does not disqualify him from assuming the position of IPMAN helmsman as there 8s no section of the law that forbids him from doing so.
He told CompassNG, “The law permits freedom of association. Just like what is obtainable in the civil service, where some civil servants belong to NULGE, NLC, and other trade unions. We are not paid salaries at IPMAN.”
