Petroleum tanker drivers’ crisis worsens as aggrieved members hold parallel election

The ongoing leadership tussle rocking the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), seems to have worsened as some aggrieved members of the Association held a parallel election in Abuja.

A huge number of the Association members who are dissatisfied by the recent election held in Lagos which brought the current leadership crisis, attended the parallel election.

Addressing the media, after the election, Comrade Lucky Osesua, who emerged the National Chairman of the faction, expressed the group’s commitment to justice, fairness, and adherence to court rulings.

Osesua condemned what he described as bias and unfair practices by NUPENG, saying the union unfortunately is favouring a rival faction.

He further called for impartial oversight from governmental bodies such as the Federal Ministry of Ministry of Labour and Employment, the Nigeria Labour Con (NLC), and the Judiciary to wade into the matter and ensure that the crisis is resolved.

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He said: “We condemn and frown at the kangaroo election and delegate’s conference held in Lagos, which is the stronghold of the acclaimed “godfather” and those who claim to own PTD. We are categorically stating that the election and delegate’s conference should follow PTD tradition. The delegates conference be organised in a neutral location, such as Abuja-FCT.

“Today’s meeting was to conduct our election as usual. We just finished our delegate conference. We are following the rule and regulations as directed by the court. The one they did in Lagos is not an election we do not recognise it. We followed all the laid down rules in this one. We have selected all the positions.”

“We have instructed and our lawyers have written several protest letters to NUPENG, security agencies such as the Nigeria Police, DSS, Office of the National Security Adviser, and others to register the grievances of PTD members. Now, they went ahead and conducted a Kangaroo-arranged delegate conference or election without doing the right thing; and we are back to the court until victory is completely achieved. We are fully with the disenfranchised PTD members. Let us all come together and salvage the soul of PTD. This will enable us to make the lives of our members worth living.”

Furthermore, he told l members of his faction to to law-abiding and go about their daily business without fear of harassment or intimidation from anyone.

“This is a time for the PTD members to come together to improve their welfare and also focus on the primary objectives of the union, which are the delivery of petroleum products to all the states and locations within the Federation. We appeal to you not to fail for the unrealistic promises of the opposition. It is important to say that if we did not challenge the rascalities, those unrealistic promises would not be made,” Osesua added.

On his part, the group’s First Deputy National Chairman, Comrade Dayyabu Garga, stated, “The recent events in Lagos, where an unauthorised delegate’s conference was held, do not reflect the true spirit of our union,”

He stressed the importance of conducting elections in line with court directives and union by-laws, underscoring the need for transparency and inclusivity.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE