The South-East region's marketers have threatened to close depots in Calabar, Port Harcourt, and Enugu, but the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has advised Nigerians to ignore this threat.
This information was provided in a statement on Saturday that was obtained by newsmen in Lagos from Edet Umana, IPMAN Chairman, Cross River.
Umana objected to the apparent threat to close the depots because of alleged police harassment by some zone merchants.
After the recent difficulties encountered across the nation, he insisted, IPMAN members in the zone were not interested in further disrupting the delivery of petroleum products.
Umana said: “The leadership issue of IPMAN has been settled by a Supreme Court judgement delivered in Abuja on Dec. 14, 2018.
“The judgment read by Justice Musa Muhammad in suit No. SC15/2015 recognised Chinedu Okoronkwo and Alhaji Danladi Pasali as National President and Secretary of IPMAN respectively.”
He claims that the police have called a conference to discuss the matter with certain people in the Southeast who claim to be an IPMAN faction based on this ruling.
Umana claimed that the action, which was ordered by Usman Baba, the Inspector General of Police, was intended to settle the leadership dispute amicably.
He said that the police were called in to intervene because of their refusal to comply with the court's ruling on the advise of Attorney General of the Federation Abubakar Malami.
Umana urged IPMAN participants to do their individual businesses without being intimidated.
The Federal Government's efforts to maintain a smooth supply and distribution of petroleum products across the nation, he said, would continue to be supported by the organisation.