The National President of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Williams Akporeha, has refuted claims that the union is using the police or the courts to settle internal disputes.
Akporeha made the clarification on Wednesday while being cross-examined by defence counsel, Christopher Oshomegie (SAN), before Justice Yusuf Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama, Abuja.
The case involves a former National Chairman of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch, Lucky Osesua, and 21 others, who are facing a five-count charge of attempted murder, breach of peace, and assault. The police accused the defendants of attacking Akporeha, NUPENG’s Secretary-General, Olawale Afolabi, and the current PTD National Chairman, Augustine Egbon, on November 1, 2023.
All defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Testifying as the second prosecution witness (PW2), Akporeha told the court that NUPENG operates as one united body with about 150 branches, including the PTD, and that there was no factional division within the union.
“It is not correct that one group is using the police and court against another to settle a union matter,” Akporeha stated. “NUPENG is one body, and there are no groups.”
He explained that after the PTD election conducted in Ibadan in June 2022, which produced Osesua and others, the National Industrial Court in Yenagoa nullified the outcome and ordered a fresh election. A second election supervised by NUPENG was also held in Ibadan, but some members conducted a parallel “illegal” election in Abuja.
Akporeha said the defendants behind the Abuja election later sued the recognized Ibadan executives and joined him as a defendant in their suit.
He denied claims that he went to Abuja to install a preferred candidate, saying that the Ibadan-elected executives had already been inaugurated before the alleged attack occurred at the PTD National Secretariat in Utako, Abuja.
Narrating the incident, Akporeha told the court that he and others were stopped at the gate by Osesua’s group and were later attacked by a mob allegedly led by the defendants. He added that the mob, armed with petrol and other weapons, stormed the hotel where they lodged, destroyed property, and brutally assaulted PTD Chairman Egbon.
“I was on the phone with Egbon when I heard his door being broken. He screamed as he was beaten and dragged from the fourth floor,” Akporeha recounted, adding that he was rescued by the then acting DPO of Utako Division.
After cross-examination, Justice Halilu adjourned the case to November 10 for the continuation of hearing.
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