Court Nullifies PTD’s National Delegates Conference, Orders Fresh, All-inclusive Election

The National Industrial Court (NJC) sitting in Abuja on Wednesday, may 29, 2024, nullified the two Delegates conferences of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) Branch of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) that held in Ibadan and Abuja simultaneously on October 31, 2023.
The Court presided over by Justice O.Y. Anuwe, ordered a fresh and all-inclusive election as well as held that all suspensions and query letters against Comrade Lucky Osesua and his team which emanated from NUPENG secretariat and declared the purported election of Chairman Augustine Egbon were null and void.
The Court further held that the General Secretary of NUPENG, Afolabi Olawale is not a member of PTD and should act within the limits of extant rules.
Forefront News reported that while Augustine Egbon was elected PTD National Chairman in Ibadan, Comrade Lucky Osesua got elected as PTD National Chairman in Abuja for which both union leaders have been laying claims to the leadership of the PTD since last year.
However, giving the numerous legal infractions by the leadership of NUPENG, especially the General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale, PTD subsequently approached the court to seek redress.
The Tanker Drivers also filed a contempt case against Afolabi Olawale for disobeying an order of the court.
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 the law is no respecter of persons.

The PTD noted that the Union has serially disobeyed court rulings with impunity and total disrespect for the temple of justice.
The Court had declared that no national executives of the PTD including Comrade Lucky Osesua, Comrade Gayyab Garga, Comrade Humble Obinna Power, Adebisi Akinlolu and others should be sacked from office and that the status quo should be maintained.
But this was flouted, and Afolabi went ahead and authorised an illegal unit election which purportedly held at NNPC Port Harcourt refinery.

The disobedience of the court orders had created serious crisis in PTD before Wednesday’s court ruling that ordered a fresh, all-inclusive delegates’ confab to elect a new leadership of the union.