Oscarline Onwuemenyi
03 November 2016, Sweetcrude, Abuja – The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has resolved to deal with oil and gas marketers on an individual basis, to avoid litigations over the leadership of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN).
The letter by the NNPC’s Company Secretary and Legal Adviser, I. Onugie, made reference to IPMAN’s leadership crisis while noting that another set of leaders were now parading themselves IPMAN leaders.
The corporation made this known in a letter dated October 17 to the Elder Chinedu Okoronkwo-led group of the association’s counsel, Messers A.S. Moyosore.
The corporation, according to the letter, has made it clear that it was not a party to the suits.
The letter’s heading said: “Re: Leadership crisis in the National Executive Council of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) in the matter of Chief Obasi Lawson and Aminu Abdulkadir parading themselves as leaders of IPMAN.”
It added that: “We refer to the above matter and your letter ref: AM/PR/IPMAN/09/2016 dated 1st September 2016 Copy attached.
“We note the pendency of leadership crisis in your association and also the multifarious suits that evolved thereat and wish to maintain that NNPC/NPMC is not a party to the pending suits.
“Therefore, the corporation is hereby maintaining its neutral position pending the outcome of the suits.
“In view hereof, we shall continue to deal with our marketers on individual basis pending the outcome of the suits in the dispute.”
It would be recalled that the Federal Ministry of Justice had in a letter to NNPC Secretary and Legal Adviser, dated August 17, 2015, said that the “attention of the Solicitor General of the Federation/Permanent Secretary, has been drawn by the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources to the Internal Memo dated 8th July, 2015 issued by your office recognizing one Chief Lawson Obasi as the lawful National President of IPMAN, in spite of pending litigations in the courts of first instance and an appeal on the matter.
