Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) Branch of NUPENG has officially appealed to the Inspector-General of Police and the Director-General of the Department of State Services not to allow themselves to be used as instruments of persecution against Comrade Lucky Osesua-led leadership of PTD and other members of the Union who are perceived to be unsupportive of the unpopular and ‘sinking’ leaders of NUPENG.
PTD also decried the ploy by NUPENG to set the table for a vicious muzzling of constitutionally guaranteed free speech and right to opinion of Union members especially the leadership of PTD in the country.
The Union members further sought the attention of security agencies not to allow themselves to be distracted from concentrating on pressing National security challenges in the country, and should also distance themselves from the temporary confusion and disorientation in the Union caused by the President, General Secretary and the National Trustee of NUPENG.
PTD maintained that any affinity with NUPENG over trade union disputes by Law Enforcement Agents could damage their reputation, noting that the perceived rift or factionalism in the Union are already in Courts of competent jurisdiction; though NUPENG leadership according to PTD has kept on deceiving themselves and lying to the general public that “there’s no division in the Union” and went on to further claim they are the true “beneficiaries” of the good side of the law, a claim PTD called “tissue of lies”.
These assertions are contained in a statement jointly signed by the leaders of a group whose members were drawn from all the four Zones of PTD, known as Concerned PTD Elders League on Wednesday, October 8, 2025.
They include Comrades Kolapo Muse-Showunmi, Khalid Adamu, Christopher Owheyre and Kingsley Amadi. These unionists complained bitterly about recent distasteful events including unwarranted harassment of perceived opponents of NUPENG leaders. They maintained that the situation has caused serious problems to the rank and file of the union. They disclosed that NUPENG leaders have now gone into jittery mode, having realized their chances of remaining relevant has already vanished.
PTD described the recent shenanigans of NUPENG leaders as a dangerous threat to the Union’s existence and symptomatic of a failed Union that is prepared to turn against the members in a desperate bid to hang on to power against the will of a larger number of members across Nigeria who no longer have confidence in them but prefer Osesua-led faction to remain the only legitimate National Executive to steer the affairs of the Branch’s leadership.
“We now have a terrifying situation where people are harassed for daring to say the truth, or to defend their rights and offices, or to aspire for certain elective offices or even express their opinion regarding governance and administration in the Union. The continuous harassment, intimidation and arrest of NUPENG National elected officers and a fresh attempt to arrest PTD leaders should be stopped forthwith by relevant authorities. We have notified our lawyers about this ugly trend and our legal team has accordingly done the needful.
“We also condemn the humiliating arrest, detention and trial of national officers as an abuse of power and a gross violation of the rights of officers who were performing their statutory duties.
“PTD as a Union demands the immediate release of the detained members and calls on the authorities to institute a thorough Investigation into their arrest, torture, and continued detention with a view to forestall recurrence.
PTD also wants to categorically state that the duo of NUPENG President Prince Williams Akporeha, and General Secretary Afolabi Olawale have both testified as PW1 and PW2 at the FCT High Court Maitama admitting that Comrade Lucky Osesua and 19 others standing trial before the Court ARE MEMBERS OF THE UNION, yet they keep addressing them as “ex-convicts”, as “ex-leaders” in their misleading publications.
“We also use this medium to call for the intervention of the Director-General of the DSS and the IGP to quash the frivolous trial of all detained members and ensure their immediate release.
“We also appeal to our Labour-friendly President of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to prevail on relevant authorities for justice in this matter. Civil Society Organisations and Organized Labour should also rise in defence of PTD and the rule of law, as injury to one is an injury to all. These stakeholders should come to the rescue of the Union, and prevent future intimidation and harassment of PTD members by security agencies. We urge all relevant authorities to take immediate action to address this situation before it gets out of hand.
“We as well heard from good authority that the former National PRO of NUPENG, Cogent Ojobor was arrested and remanded for almost a month for revealing to the public via social media how he was illegally expelled from the Union. It is also a common knowledge that the unlawfully suspended Chairman of Port Harcourt Zone of NUPENG Samuel Mina was bursted at his residence and arrested, while NUPENG National Treasurer-National Women Committee, Comrade Queen Udeh has also cried out via her Facebook page that there is a plan to arrest her too, and keep her out of circulation.
“Nigerians who have been following NUPENG’s crisis have seen that almost all those who have openly expressed themselves, or perceived to be nursing ambition for certain offices, including NUPENG Presidency, are now facing one trumped-up charge or the other, ostensibly meant to cow, discredit or show them the way out of the Union.
“The point is that NUPENG has refused to wake up to the reality that members have already reached a consensus rejecting them and no amount of threats, intimidation, or persecution with state apparatus of power can subjugate or make the members change that determined resolve to show the leadership of NUPENG the exit door. However, the fact that this current leadership is leaving office in April 2026 has become inevitable and no one should be part of their desperation to completely ruin our Union before their final exit.”