Police following due process of oust impostors from IPMAN office – Sanusi

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The National President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, Alhaji Sanusi Abdu Fari, on Saturday reacted to the alleged invasion of the office of the IPMAN which is allegedly occupied by Elder Chinedu Okoronkwo, who also claim to be the President. 

In a statement signed by the National  Publicity Secretary and Public Relations Officer of IPMAN, High chief Ukadike Chinedu, the President said the Inspector-General of Police has merely followed due process and ensured that tenets of democracy and rule of law prevail over sheer force, impunity and falsehood.

The IPMAN boss described Elder Chinedu Okoronkwo and his cohorts as band of impostors, who have continued to bleat about and cry wolf over a monumental lie they have tried to perpetuate since 14th December, 2018 when the Supreme Court delivered judgement in the IPMAN leadership crisis. 

He declared that Elder Okoronkwo have continue to impersonate the office of the national president since 2014 till date, challenging him and his team to point out one line in the judgement of the apex Court which affirmed him and Alhaji Danladi Pasali as National President and National Secretary respectively of IPMAN. 

But, in a swift reaction, Elder Okoronkwo said he has a legal backing as the authentic President of IPMAN to occupy the office, based on Supreme Court judgement of 14 December 2018 wherein he was declared the winner of the case between him and Lawson Obasi, the erstwhile President of IPMAN.

Okoronkwo said he was yet to understand where Alh. Sanusi Fari, who claimed to be the authentic President of IPMAN, is drawing his strength from, stressing that his name was never joined as a party to the suit between him and Obasi Lawson. 

“Now, where is Fari coming from? I defeated Obasi his master. Based on the judgement of the court, Obasi has paid N2 million through his lawyer to me. Not only that, after all these Supreme Court judgement, last year 2020, Obasi went to court in Abuja here, based on that Calabar matter,  to say I am an impostor, the court dismissed his matter” he said.

Fari’s statement reads in part “The National President of IPMAN, Alhaji (Engr.) Sanusi Abdu Fari, and members of his Executive speaking through the national publicity secretary/ public relation officer, High Chief UKADIKE Chinedu said the NEC Committee are grateful to President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, the Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Inspector-General of Police, the management of NNPC and the FCT Police Command for showing abiding respect for due process and rule of law.

“Most unfortunately, true to their name and antics, one Elder Chinedu Okoronkwo and his band of impostors have continued to bleat about and cry wolf over a monumental lie they have tried to perpetuate since 14th December, 2018 when the Supreme Court delivered judgement in the IPMAN leadership crisis. 

“We hereby challenge Elder Chinedu Okoronkwo and his rabble-rousers to point out one line in the judgement of the apex Court which affirmed him and Alhaji Danladi Pasali as National President and National Secretary respectively of IPMAN. Nothing is further from the truth!

“A lie repeated a thousand times does not transform into truth! It is common knowledge that the judgment of the Supreme Court in Appeal No. SC/15/2018 was interpreted and applied by the Federal High Court, Calabar in a judgment delivered on 21st February, 2019 in Suit No. FHC/C/CS/3/2019. “That jusgment in conjunction with the judgment of the Supreme Court put to rest the leadership dispute in IPMAN as they affirmed the provision of the 1997 Constitution of the association that the Deputy National President automatically becomes the National President!

“The apex court stated the constitutive instrument to determine the tenure of office is the IPMAN constitution which provides three years tenure for national Executives. 

“It is worthy of note that following the judgment of the apex Court and the judgment of the Federal High Court, Calabar, the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation and the Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources wrote their respective letters dated 20th May, 2019 and 27th January, 2020 recognizing Alhaji (Engr.) Sanusi Abdu Fari as the National President of IPMAN. 

“The Inspector-Genral of Police has merely followed due process and ensured that tenets of democracy and rule of law prevail over sheer force, impunity and falsehood. It is worthy to reiterate the obvious fact that Elder Chinedu Okoronkwo and his henchmen are impostors and they ought to know that their luck will sooner or later run out! 

“Chinedu Okoronkwo have continue to impersonate the office of the national president since 2014 till date. 

“We thank the Police and other security agencies for their courage in tackling the challenges posed by these impostors and taking steps to make right, that which has been wrong all along! 

“We hereby call on all members of IPMAN to embrace peace and be law-abiding as ar vow to continue to cooperate and work closely with the Federal Government and other stakeholders to ensure that peace prevails in the downstream sector of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry!”