The National leadership of Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD ) has filed a contempt case against Afolabi Olawale, the General Secretary of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and other officials for resisting an order restricting the union from conducting a Unit election at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), Port Harcourt refinery in Rivers State.
Counsel to PTD who filed the “notice of consequences of disobedience to order of court” before the National Industrial Court in Abuja also asked the court to slam appropriate sanctions on NUPENG to stamp its authority that law is no respecter of persons, adding that the Union has serially disobeyed court rulings with impunity and total disrespect for the temple of justice.
A leader of the PTD Branch of NUPENG in Port Harcourt, Comrade Joseph Dagogo-Jack (JP) who was reacting to the latest development on Friday after the Eid-el-Fitr break in Abuja with some journalists said:
“Contempt of Court is a serious offence, and sadly, NUPENG and its General Secretary are known for serially committing this offense with no modicum of dignity. This time around, they must be forced to face the full weight of the law so as to serve as a deterrent to others who act in a similar manner like them.
“Remember this same NUPENG’s General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale refused to honour court’s ruling when it stated without ambiguity that PTD national delegates conference should not hold in Ibadan, yet Afolabi went ahead conducted the kangaroo election on Tuesday, October 31, 2023, in Ibadan, Oyo State. This was in flagrant disobedience to court order and has created a serious crisis in PTD which till today is yet to be resolved.
“Court also ruled that no national executives of PTD including Comrade Lucky Osesua, Comrade Gayyab Garga, Comrade Humble Obinna Power and others should be sacked from office this was flaunted as well and the latest was the kangaroo and illegal unit election which purportedly held at NNPC Port Harcourt refinery. This affront on the judiciary has clearly shown that NUPENG is a lawless organization as currently constituted.
“As we speak there is a monumental crisis in the union over unlawful and illegitimate executives being paraded by NUPENG, Afolabi Olawale, Williams Akporeha and Otunba Salimon Akanni Oladiti and of course their stooges in PTD will soon be kicked out through the instrumentality of the rule of law.”
Condemning the disobedience to the Court order further, Dagogo-Jack added, “Once there is an existing court order, it is binding on all parties concerned. Where they fail, refuse, or neglect to obey the court order, the AGF and the inspector general of Police can bring them to court for contempt, and that is a grievous offense because it undermines the integrity of the court.
“Other contemnors who should be facing contempt suits apart from Afolabi are his surrogates who conducted the election under his unlawful directive are Comrade Solomon Kilanko, Alhaji Dauda Olabisi, Kingsley Ezenwa, Oluchi Chinagorom, Joshep C. Okafor, Stephen Chibueze, Marthais Oteh. Others are Odinaka Nwafor, Chinyere Ukaefu, Alex Stephen, Augustine Ogobiri, Mina Samuel, Mulud Abubakar and Olayiwola Olawale. It is illegal, irresponsible and immoral for anyone to choose and settle for only judgments and rulings that are only favorable to him. That is unacceptable in any civilized society.
“It is a big shame that under a constitutional democracy, an order came from the court, and NUPENG leaders will brazenly violate such an order. It is highly contemptuous for the Union to willfully disobey an order of a court. It is totally wrong for the union to violate such an order and act contrary to do that, which the court has restrained them from doing. NUPENG went so low in another matter in which they were served form 48 and as a result they physically assaulted Court bailiffs”
“Their several despicable steps and actions clearly destabilised the judicial system, otherwise where everybody feels that he’s right and courts are wrong, choosing not to obey the court order is a licence to resort to self-help and the implication could bring anarchy to the nation. It is totally ridiculous for NUPENG to act in such a disgraceful and anarchical manner. They have equally destroyed all the enviable and unique legacies which.late Frank Kokori left behind.
Meanwhile, Dagogo-Jack also berated NUPENG leaders for lack of accountability, decency, probity and transparency in the handling of PTD check off dues, levies and taxes. He called on stakeholders in the industry and anti graft bodies to set up an independent body who will look into the financial records of the Union.
“There is supposed to be a forensic audit to all PTD bank accounts at Unit, Zonal, and National levels of PTD. Many of our members are confused about receiving instructions all the time from the so-called leaders, telling them to pay into different bank accounts not recognized by PTD. We are still surprised at why the General Secretary of NUPENG will make himself one of the signatories to our bank accounts in PTD, obviously it’s a ploy to commit manipulations and fraud at the expense of our hardworking members who have been impoverished over the years. We are appealing to the elders of our union, anti graft agencies and other key stakeholders to expose corruption in our union and deal with anyone found culpable” he said.