Controversy swallows IPMAN election in Portharcourt

This is as marketers at the Eleme refinery are calling for an end to tribalism and sentimentality in assigning offices in IPMAN.

The protesting marketers said qualified candidate with knowledge in oil and gas be given the opportunity to contest as chairman in IPMAN, irrespective of the tribe in Rivers State.

Also speaking, a frontline aspirant for Chairmanship into IPMAN, FRANCIS DIMKPA who called government intervention in the election, said he had already paid and obtained his bank draft to collect the chairmanship form but was turned down because he is not an indigene of Eleme or Okrika.

Validating the Electoral Officer of IPMAN in Rivers state, ALEX OKPABI in his reaction told correspondent IFUNANYA OBEME-NDUKWE that leaders of IPMAN gave him the authority to sell forms only to indigenes of Eleme and Okrika which he said has been the procedure.