The National President of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, Williams Akporeha, on Wednesday, reiterated before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, that the union was not using the police and court to settle union matters.

Akporeha made the assertion while being cross-examined by the 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 dragged a one-time 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 the charge, marked FCT/HC/CR/042/2023.

The defendants are alleged to have, on November 1, 2023, attacked Akporeha, the union’s secretary-general, Olawale Afolabi, and the new PTD national chairman, Augustine Egbon, thus 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 in the case yesterday, while answering 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 against another in the union.

According to him, “It is not correct that one group is using the police and court against another to settle a 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, of which PTD is one. The issue of one group against another does not arise.”

Akporeha, who is the second prosecution witness (PW2) in the case, informed the court that the union conducted PTD executive elections in June 2022 in Ibadan in which the first defendant, Lucky Osesua, Dayyabu Garga, and others emerged as winners, but the National Industrial Court, sitting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, nullified the elections.

He said the court ordered NUPENG to conduct another election for PTD, but some of the defendants still went to the National Industrial Court in Abuja, and the court also nullified the 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 the election. The one the court directed to be supervised by NUPENG was conducted in Ibadan,” he told the court.

He further told the court that most of those who conducted the illegal Abuja election did not show up in Ibadan for the election the court ordered NUPENG to supervise.

He admitted that the Lucky Osesua-led executives that emerged from the illegal election held in Abuja later filed a suit against the executives elected in Ibadan, adding that he was joined as a defendant in the suit.

Akporeha denied the suggestion by Oshomegie that he (the NUPENG President) came to install the person that won the Ibadan election on the day he and others were attacked at the PTD national secretariat at No. 50 Majekodunmi Street at Utako, Abuja, which also served as the NUPENG liaison office.

According to the witness, the winners of the election in Ibadan had been inaugurated thereafter, emerging victorious, adding that Osesua and other defendants were not supposed to occupy the PTD national secretariat as they were not the authentic PTD executives.

He informed the court that on the day of the attack on him and others, they met Osesua and other defendants at the premises’ gate and were stopped from driving into the premises, adding that he and others had to use the small gate to enter the premises where they were later attacked by the defendants.

The witness told the court that the defendants led a mob of youths armed with gallons of petrol and other weapons to attack the hotel he and others lodged in and destroyed doors, windows and others.

He added that he was talking with the new PTD National Chairman, Augustine Egbon, when he heard the door of his room being broken into and beaten to a pulp.

“I was not with Egbon, but I was on the 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 added that it took the intervention of the then acting Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Utako division to rescue him from his hotel room, and later arrested the defendants and took them to the police command.

Following the completion of his cross-examination by the defence counsel, Justice Halilu subsequently adjourned the case to November 10 for continuation of hearing.