Tension As NUPENG-PTD Port Harcourt Zone Protests Against Imposition
Members of the Nigeria Union Of PetroleumTanker And Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) Petroleum
Drivers (PTD) Branch Port-harcourt Zone has rejected the upcoming election planned by the Caretaker Committee for Oct. 31 2023 in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The Zonal Branch also rejected the arrangement, which made the Caretaker Committee led by the National Secretary of NUPENG, Mr Afolabi Olawale to double as its Electoral Committee for the conduct of the election.
This was contained in the protest letter, which was signed by Mr Musa Dennis and Mr Boniface Okafor, the Chairman and the Secretary of the aggrieved members of PTD-NUPENG Port Harcourt Zone respectively.
The letter which was made available to newmen in Awka said the development was against the spirit of the judgment of the Industrial Court which mandated NUPENG to set up an electoral committee within the PTD to conduct its election.
The union said it was rejecting the alleged imposition of candidates and the use of a guideline drafted by the national caretaker committee with the intention of disenfranchising the people’s true nominees/choices from contesting.
They said the controversial NUPENG in their guideline provided that the contestants in the PTD election must have forms endorsed by them but expressed dismay that the same NUPENG leadership refused to endorse the nomination of candidates produced at the zonal primary elections.
The Port Harcourt Zone called for a level playing ground for all the members contesting for positions in PTD at all levels, including units, zones, and national without witch-hunt.
According to them, what we are saying is that due process must be adhered to and the provisions of the Bye-law of the association must be religiously respected.
“The role of the General Secretary NUPENG and the former national chairman of PTD, who is now the current NUPENG Trustee is quite surprising as they are trying to thwart the provisions in our bye-law.
“It has been our normal practice to conduct our elections and report
to NUPENG and not NUPENG conducting our elections for us, NUPENG are only observers in our elections, that is their cardinal role,” it said.
Explaining further, Okafor, the secretary of the aggrieved members of the zone, said PTD-NUPENG election should be conducted at its National Secretariat at Abuja, as had been the tradition and not in any other location.
Okafor, one of the founding fathers of PTD said the union had operated independently but harmoniously with NUPENG when it joined the body over 40 years ago and wondered why the current leadership of the body wanted to ruin the relationship between the two bodies by its unlawful activities towards their election.
He said the Port Harcourt zone and every other zone were only demanding the endorsement of the nomination of their various candidates who were produced at their respective primaries and to allow them equal opportunities to contest the National election.
“They should follow the rules/provisions of the bye-law of the association to ensure a free and fair credible election.
“We shall resist all forms of impunity and departure from the rules as exemplified by the likes of general secretary NUPENG and the former national chairman of PTD.
“We have the capacity to say no to the evil agenda, but we do not want any division in the PTD Branch of NUPENG because we are one family.
“We, the entire bonafide leaders and members of PTD-NUPENG Port-Harcourt zone, will not condone or accept the outcome of any election that did not follow the electoral guidelines and provisions of our bye-law,” it said.
Okafor said the Port Harcourt Zone of PTD-NUPENG earlier held a protest at its Secretariat in Enugu on October 28, to press home their demands.
