‘PTD can’t collect levies in Cross River
Grace Udoh
‘The Cross River State High Court in Calabar, Cross River State, has restrained the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) from collecting any tariff or levy accruing to the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) in the state.
The order granted Elder Edet Umana, factional Chairman of IPMAN, and two others (claimants/applicants) for themselves and on behalf of IPMAN, leave to serve the writ of summons and originating process on National Chairman of PTD Otumba Oladini Salimon, Zonal Chairman Peter Modebelu, factional chairman of IPMAN Prince Robert Obi and seven others (defendants).
Justice Edem Koofreh issued ‘an order of interim injunction restraining the defendants, whether by themselves, agents or privies, in any manner whatsoever and otherwise however, from collecting any IPMAN tariff in Calabar unit pending the hearing and determination of the claimants’ motion on notice’.
Umana and others sued the defendants, challenging their ‘illegal’ levy collection on IPMAN’s behalf, and why Obi was still parading himself as chairman of IPMAN when the Supreme Court had, since December 14, 2018, declared the Okoronkwo-led executive legitimate.
Obi and his group have however petitioned the Acting Chief Judge, Justice Akon Ikpeme, asking for the matter to be transferred to another judge as they were not sure of justice. They accused Justice Koofreh of bias.
But Okoronkwo condemned the action, describing it as ‘an abuse of court process and laws of the land’.