The leadership crisis within the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has escalated as an aggrieved suspended group held parallel elections to select the organization’s national executives.
The main faction, led by the suspended national chairman, Comrade Lucky Osesua, held a press conference in Abuja, denouncing the election conducted by the opposition on July 3, 2024, in Lagos as illegitimate. Osesua’s faction claimed that the election violated the National Industrial Court’s judgment from May 29, 2024.
Speaking in Abuja, alongside Comrade Dayyabu Garga, Deputy National Chairman, Comrade Humble Ogbonna Power, and other members, Comrade Osesua asserted that his group did not recognize the opposition’s election and thus conducted its own separate election.
Osesua emphasised that his group’s stance is a liberation struggle, stressing their commitment to abide by the law and face the consequences of their actions aimed at liberating PTD.
According to Osesua, “the court ordered NUPENG to immediately begin the process for a new election by constituting an all-inclusive Electoral and Caretaker Committee, as stated in the judgment in Suit No. NICN/YEN/14/2022, which shall conduct the election within four months from the date of the judgment.”
He added, “However, on May 31, 2024, NUPENG released discriminatory and selective election guidelines favoring their preferred candidates. This action is against the court’s judgment, inequitable, unfair, unjust, and against natural justice.”
Osesua’s group condemned these actions and the ongoing suspension of its members, insisting that all suspended members be reinstated to their original positions, in accordance with the court’s judgment. The group reiterated that the court-ordered fresh election must be inclusive and non-discriminatory.
The faction pledged to remain law-abiding and to support the policies of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s administration, urging members to continue their crucial roles in distributing petroleum products across the country.
