IPMAN leadership crisis

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The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal has fixed September 22, 2016 to hear the appeal filed by Chief Lawson Obasi, challenging the judgment of an FCT High Court that restrained him from parading himself as President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigerian, IPMAN,
Justice Valentine Ashi of the FCT High Court had about two years ago entered judgment in favour of Dr. Chinedu Okoronkwo, as National President of the association.
Justice Ashi in the said judgment restrained Lawson from parading himself as IPMAN President.
The plaintiff, Chinedu Okoronkwo, had in a suit number FCT/HC/4141/2014, urged the court to restrain Lawson from the act.
Meanwhile, Okoronkwo -led leadership of IPMAN has asked the Court of Appeal to strike out the appeal for lack of diligent prosecution.
The appellate court has already fixed September 22, 2016 to commence hearing in the appeal after awarding N20, 000 cost against the appellant for filling his proceeds out of time, in favour of Okoronkwo.
It will be recalled that IPMAN has been going through leadership tussle over which factional national president should be recognised.
As a result of the crisis, the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, sometime ago shut down NIPCO, a subsidiary of IPMAN, leading to total paralysis of commercial activities and threatening distribution of petroleum products across the country.
The crisis reached a crescendo two weeks ago following the decision of a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, which declared Chief Obasi Lawson as national president of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN.
The litigations occasioned by the serial crises in the petroleum marketers union initially started in 1999 when the Alhaji Felande-led faction seconded by Obasi Lawson and Aminu Adulkadir engaged themselves in a succession battle over who takes over from Engineer Runsewe.