Don't Drag Enugu Governor To Your Internal Crisis - Group Tells IPMAN

Our attention has been drawn to the statement credited to the Enugu State chapter of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), questioning the power of the Enugu State Government to ban it's crisis-ridden activities in the state.

We had wanted to ignore the statement, but because the group deviated from the main reason the state government banned it's activities but tried to drag the state into their internal crisis or issues, we have decided to set the records straight.

1. Let it be clearly noted that Enugu State Government did not and will never try to legislate the activities of IPMAN in the state.

2. The Enugu State Government's action never interdicted the judgment of the Supreme Court on the authentic leadership of the body in the state or elsewhere.

Hence, the action of the state government is purely based on security matters and nothing below or more than that.

Accordingly, such action is in line with the power conferred on the governor as the Chief Security Officer of the State.

So when the action, activities or operations of any group whatsoever begins to breach the peaceful co-existence in the state or the security architectures or organigram of the state, it is within the purview of the state government to ban the activities of such group or organization until further notice.

That was why the state government said it ''took the decision after reviewing with great concern the protracted crisis that has engulfed the chapter'' especially when it had ''assumed dimensions of cultism and banditry with it's attendant grave security implications in the state.''

The position of the state government is self-explanatory and must not be twisted to suit a particular desire or interest.

That was why a committee comprising the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Nigerian Police Force (NPF), Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Department of State Services (DSS) and other relevant stakeholders was constituted to take charge in the interim until normalcy is returned.

Therefore, we urge the state chapter of IPMAN to retract it's digressional statement and apologize to Enugu State Government for misrepresenting facts in the media.

Signed:
Dr. Edwin Obune,
National Coordinator,
Enugu Youth Coalition