Court restrains Benin IPMAN from electing officers

By Gabriel Enogholase
BENIN — THE crisis rocking the Benin Depot of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, has assumed a new dimension, as an Edo State High Court, Benin, has restrained Mr Augustine Erhabor, Chief Sadiku Otono and El-Nassir Ogbo by themselves, their agents, servants and privies from electing zonal/unity officers of the association until the determination of the motion on notice filed in the case.

Trial judge in the matter,  Justice Alero  Edodo, handed down the order, following an application by  Dr Moses Ovbabor.

A faction of the Benin Depot of IPMAN led by one Lucky Ojo, was said to have scheduled its election to elect officers into the zonal/unit of the Mid-Western IPMAN on July 28, 2010.

Justice Edodo, while ruling on the application, held that no election should take place without strict compliance with the Revised Constitution of IPMAN of June 1997, which recommends general guideline for election of officers for the Association in Benin.

The National leadership of IPMAN, under the leadership of Alhaji Muhammed Abdukadir recently appointed a Caretaker Committee headed by Mr. Douglas Iyike to oversee the activities of the Benin Depot of IPMAN  for three months sequel to the crisis in the union for over a year.

The Committee is to conduct a fresh election of new officers of the union within the time frame.