The Chief Chinedu Okoronkwo-led Executive Committee of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association (IPMAN) has expelled a factional leader of the group, Obasi Lawson, for allegedly engaging in acts offensive to the association's constitution.
Lawson’s expulsion followed a decision by the Court of Appeal, Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, striking out his application with which he sought to commit IPMAN’s Registered Trustees and members of its National Executive Committee to prison for alleged contempt of the court.
The appellate court struck out Lawson's application for want of diligent prosecution and because there is a pending suit before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Jabi, in relation to the leadership of the association.
Speaking at the weekend, Okoronkwo faulted a letter purportedly written by former Minister of Labour and Productivity, Joel Ikenya, announcing Lawson as IPMAN’s National President. He stated the minister acted without the requisite powers.
Okonkwo referred to a letter dated May 26, 2015, addressed to the Minister of Labour and Productivity and authored by IPMAN's lawyer, Ricky Tarfa (SAN), to the effect that the former minister’s letter amounted to contempt of court, because the dispute over IPMAN’s leadership was still pending in court and in relation to which an appeal is pending before the Court of Appeal, Port-Harcourt.
Tarfa contended in the letter that the president and committee allegedly set up by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, never deliberated on the stated crisis, as claimed by the former minister’s letter, which purportedly conveyed that President had endorsed Lawson as IPMAN’s National President.
He argued that, where a case is before a Court of Appeal, a party, court or establishment should desist from carrying out any act that will foist a situation of hopelessness on the court.