The National President of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Williams Akporeha, on Wednesday told the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) that the union was not using the police or the court to settle internal union matters.
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Akporeha made the assertion while being cross-examined by defence counsel, Christopher Oshomegie (SAN), in the ongoing trial of 21 former leaders of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch of NUPENG before Justice Yusuf Halilu, sitting at Maitama, Abuja.
The police had charged a former PTD National Chairman, Lucky Osesua, and 21 others before the court on a five-count charge bordering on attempted murder, breach of peace, and assault in case number FCT/HC/CR/042/2023.
The defendants were alleged to have, on November 1, 2023, attacked Akporeha; the union’s Secretary-General, Olawale Afolabi; and the new PTD National Chairman, Augustine Egbon, acting in a manner likely to cause their death, among other offences.
Other defendants included Dayyabu Garga, Humble Obinna, Akinolu Olabisi, Godwin Nwaka, Tiamiu Sikiru, Abdulmimin Shaibu, John Amajuoyi, Zaira Aregbo, Patrick Erhivwor, Stephen Ogheneruemu, Gift Ukponku, Sunday Ezeocha, and seven others.
They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, while responding to questions from Oshomegie, Akporeha told the court that NUPENG had about 150 branches, of which PTD was one, adding that there was no issue of one group working against another within the union.
According to him, “It is not correct that one group is using the police and court against another to settle union matter. I am the national president of the union (NUPENG); I oversee everybody.
“NUPENG is one body, and there are no groups. NUPENG has about 150 branches which PTD is one of them. The issue of one group against another does not arise.”
Akporeha, who testified as the second prosecution witness (PW2), told the court that the union had conducted PTD executive elections in June 2022 in Ibadan, where the first defendant, Lucky Osesua, and Dayyabu Garga, among others, emerged winners. However, the National Industrial Court sitting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, nullified the election.
He explained that the court directed NUPENG to conduct another election for PTD, but some of the defendants went to the National Industrial Court in Abuja, which also nullified the second election.
“After the first election was nullified, the court directed that another election be conducted. This was conducted but some of them (defendants) went to court and the court also nullified the second election.
“After this, NUPENG conducted another election in Ibadan, while some people also conducted another illegal election in Abuja. It is NUPENG that is supposed to conduct elections. The one the court directed to be supervised by NUPENG was conducted in Ibadan,” he told the court.
He further stated that most of those who conducted the illegal Abuja election did not show up in Ibadan for the court-ordered poll supervised by NUPENG.
He confirmed that the Lucky Osesua-led executives that emerged from the illegal Abuja election later filed a suit against the executives elected in Ibadan, adding that he was joined as a defendant in the case.
Akporeha denied the suggestion by Oshomegie that he went to install the winner of the Ibadan election on the day he and others were attacked at the PTD national secretariat at No. 50 Majekodunmi Street, Utako, Abuja, which also served as NUPENG’s liaison office.
According to him, the winners of the Ibadan election had already been inaugurated there after emerging victorious, adding that Osesua and the other defendants were not supposed to occupy the PTD national secretariat as they were not the authentic executives.
He told the court that on the day of the attack, he and others met Osesua and his group at the gate of the premises, where they were stopped from driving in. They then used a small gate to enter, where they were later attacked.
The witness said the defendants led a mob of youths armed with gallons of petrol and other weapons to attack the hotel where he and others were lodged, destroying doors, windows, and other property.
He added that he was speaking with the new PTD National Chairman, Augustine Egbon, when he heard the door to his room being broken and Egbon screaming as he was beaten.
“I was not with Egbon but I was on phone with him when I heard the door to his room broken and he screamed. I also saw when he was being beaten and dragged from the fourth floor. He was beaten to a pulp,” Akporeha said.
He said it took the intervention of the then acting Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the Utako Division to rescue him from his hotel room before the defendants were arrested and taken to the police command.
Following the conclusion of his cross-examination by the defence counsel, Justice Halilu adjourned the case to November 10 for the continuation of the hearing.
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