The Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) led by John B. Gberesuu has condemned the violation of court order by a faction at the Port Harcourt Refinery Depot, Alesa Eleme for constituting illegal Elder Group executive body and taking resolutions believing it should bind every tanker driver at the depot against court interlocutory injunction restraining all parties at the depot from operations, pending the determination of the substantial suit in Suit No NIC/ABJ/188/2012.
In a press briefing held at Bodo in Gokana LGA over the weekend, William Isu said that John Gberesuu led faction of the Union is made up of Rivers/Bayelsa State indigenes while other group is non-indigenes mostly Ibos who marginalized Rivers/ Bayelsa group and they are presently before an industrial court which involved even NUPENG at Abuja.
The group did not only condemned the passing of the resolution but insists that only registered members of the union who are indigene of Rivers/Bayelsa State should hold executive position of the union in the depot as applied in all other depots throughout the Eastern zone.
Comrade Isu who quoted from the mission statement of the Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, 2007, has it that “that we shall use our God given resources to improve the quality and harmonious society under God” and pressed that as the group remains resolute, they vow to resist any further attempts at subjugating their rights and privileges in the depot.
In the same vein, Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) represented by Mr. Moses Damgbor appealed to all aggrieved parties of PTD, Port Harcourt refinery depot to sheathe their swords and embrace dialogue, work in unison in order to produce leaders that will be acceptable to all.
Damgbor recalled that Ogoni has suffered enough internal wrangling and leadership fracas just as its presently experienced by PTD, which almost cripple the activities of MOSOP and cause gruesome murder of 13 prominent Ogonis on November 10, 1995.
He said that the said refinery is on the soil of Ogoni and warned that peace and justice should prevail as whatever affects the activities of the depot will affect the Ogonis and MOSOP will not encourage such. Comrade Gberesuu and Comrade Lawrence Enoch in their separate speeches condemned the so called elders in PTD at the depot said that they are the only one who should answer elders for they were there before those who are claiming elders today.
Gberesuu who narrated the history of the depot and its unison of PTD and NUPENG has it that NUPENG was constituted from Lagos without any Rivers indigene among them just to come and take over the depot, the same way it happed in the case of PTD, that he said was organized from Enugu and Aba and came to take over the depot too and when they could not bear in 1997, Rivers/ Bayelsa State indigenes took them to court and peace has not returned.
The Ogoni branch chairman Friday Ogoi Korbe who frowned at the lawlessness and character of the Ibos at the depot said that they have no time to negotiate with their opponents but awaiting the court. ###
