The Eastern Zonal Leadership of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has reaffirmed Comrade Robert Obi as the authentic Chairman of the Cross River State branch, warning that any attempt to install a parallel leadership could destabilise the petroleum downstream sector and threaten the peace of the state.
The zonal leadership made the declaration on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, during separate courtesy visits to key security authorities in Cross River State, including the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG), Zone 6, AIG Rasheed Bello Afegbua; the Senior State Security Adviser, Major General Okoi Ubi Obono; and the Commissioner of Police, Cross River State Command, CP Ajo Geoffrey Ordue.
The zonal leadership, which included representatives of IPMAN, NUPENG, PTD and IMB, consequently appealed to the security agencies to prevent unauthorised individuals from interfering with the activities of legitimate petroleum marketers and tanker drivers pending the resolution of any leadership issues through the association’s recognised constitutional processes.
The delegation was led by the Eastern Zonal Chairman of IPMAN, Prince Bobby Dick, and the Zonal Chairman of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD), Port Harcourt Zone, Comrade Joseph Okafor. It comprised critical stakeholders from IPMAN, the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) and Independent Marketers Branch (IMB) of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) across the Eastern Zone.
The visit was aimed at clarifying the leadership status of IPMAN in Cross River State and drawing the attention of security agencies to what the zonal leadership described as attempts by a faction led by Mr. Peter Okim to establish a parallel structure in the state.
Dick said the zonal leadership was aware of recent activities by individuals purporting to represent IPMAN leadership in Calabar, stressing that the security agencies needed to be properly informed to prevent the impersonation from creating tension or disrupting the operations of legitimate members.
“We are here today to put the record straight and tell the security agencies that those people are impersonators, so that they will not have the room to embarrass or impose any levy on our members,” Dick said.
He specifically challenged the claim by an individual who purportedly visited the state to inaugurate a new leadership structure, insisting that the person was not the National Secretary of IPMAN and had no authority to alter the existing leadership arrangement in Cross River State.
According to him, there was a subsisting court judgment arising from a case instituted by the individual in question, which, he said, dismissed the claim to IPMAN leadership and imposed a N5 million fine.
“Let me say it categorically that Mr. Peter Okim and the man that came are imposters and don’t have power over IPMAN or the leadership. So whatever they did was just a charade. Even the task force they allegedly instituted is a charade,” Dick said.
He warned that the zonal leadership would not allow the purported task force to interfere with the movement of petroleum products, particularly by stopping trucks or harassing drivers operating within the state.
Dick explained that the clarification became necessary because any unauthorised interference with petroleum marketers and tanker drivers could create unnecessary tension within a sector that deals with highly inflammable products.
Also speaking, the PTD Zonal Chairman, Port Harcourt Zone, Comrade Joseph Okafor, described the attempt to install a new IPMAN chairman without following the association’s established procedures as unacceptable.
Okafor, whose zone covers about 12 states, including Cross River, said IPMAN had a constitution, bylaws and established checks and balances governing its leadership structure, stressing that nobody could simply assume the position of chairman without a duly conducted election.
“There are set-out criteria you must surmount before you become IPMAN chairman, which is that you must be elected. You can’t just go somewhere and say they gave you a letter and you become the chairman. Things are not done like that in the union,” he said.
He questioned the rationale behind the alleged constitution of a caretaker committee while the existing zonal executive remained in place, warning that such an arrangement could create confusion and unnecessary rivalry within the petroleum distribution chain.
Okafor appealed to the state government and security agencies to ensure that the situation did not degenerate into a crisis at the depots, stressing that any disruption in petroleum operations could have serious consequences for the state and its residents.
“Cross River State is secure and very safe for our members to operate freely. The government is doing its best to make sure that everywhere is calm. So we will not allow any person or persons to come and cause problems in the depots,” he said.
He further urged the security agencies to maintain vigilance around the depots because of the hazardous nature of petroleum products, noting that a crisis in such an environment could endanger lives and property.
Okafor also called on the government to intervene proactively, warning that a dispute capable of shutting down depot operations would have wider economic implications.
Responding to the delegation, AIG Zone 6, Rasheed Bello Afegbua, acknowledged that another group had visited his office a few days earlier but noted that the delegation was considerably smaller than the more than 20 stakeholders who accompanied the zonal leadership.
Afegbua said the latest presentation had provided the security authorities with a broader perspective on the dispute and assured the delegation that the police would take appropriate steps to establish the legitimate leadership and maintain peace.
“Sincerely, if you people had not come, I would have been tempted to believe and accept those other people. You people should guide us, please, to do the right thing,” he said.
The AIG further asked the stakeholders to clarify the authority of the contending groups over the petroleum depots and urged them to notify the police when the time comes for a fresh election to enable the security agencies to monitor the process.
“I assure you that we’ll do the right thing. Do they have rights over the depot? And please, when it’s time for the elections to elect a new EXCO, put us in the know,” Afegbua stated.
At the Cross River State Police Command, CP Ajo Geoffrey Ordue described the visit by the IPMAN zonal leadership as timely, saying the clarification would assist the police in protecting members of the association, their businesses and petroleum infrastructure in the state.
Ordue urged the stakeholders to maintain open communication with the command and cooperate with security agencies in addressing any emerging dispute.
The Commissioner advised the association to explore legal avenues in addressing the alleged impersonation, including instituting appropriate action against the Peter Okim-led group and communicating any alleged disobedience of court orders to the relevant authorities.
“We need peace in the state and no business thrives where there is no peace,” Ordue said.
Similarly, the Senior State Security Adviser, Major General Okoi Ubi Obono, said his office would only work with a leadership duly recognised through the established structures of IPMAN.
Obono explained that his office had not received any formal communication from the zonal or national leadership indicating that the tenure of the incumbent executive had expired, nor had it received evidence of a duly conducted election producing a new executive.
“A letter should come from the zone or national telling me that the incumbent tenure has expired and elections have been conducted and these are the new EXCOs. But nothing like that was done. Rather, they came here with a letter introducing him as the interim chairman and I told him no, things are not done that way,” he said.
The Senior State Security Adviser stressed that Cross River State had remained peaceful and warned that any development capable of disrupting that peace would have consequences for residents and businesses, particularly those operating in the petroleum sector.
“Cross River is a very peaceful state and we don’t want to put it in flames. You know, if it comes from that angle, a lot of people will suffer. We’ll cooperate with you and work with you,” Obono assured.
The stakeholders maintained that preserving peace at the state’s petroleum depots was critical to ensuring uninterrupted distribution of petroleum products, safeguarding lives and property, and sustaining economic activities across Cross River State.
