The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) yesterday handed down a 14 day ultimatum to the Federal Government to intervene in what it termed the abuse of the judicial process in the protracted leadership crisis within the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) failing which it will mobilise members for a nationwide strike.

NUPENG President, Igwe Achese, who gave the notice of strike at a press conference in Lagos, expressed the union's concern over the judgement passed by the High Court Justice Valentine Ashi on Wednesday overturning the judgement of a high court in Port Harcourt on the 20th of March 2014.

He said it was sad that the judiciary could allow itself to be used to truncate justice, adding that the judgement has discredited the judiciary and the wheel of justice, equity and truth.

He therefore appealed to  the Chief Justice of the Federation and Chairman of the National Judicial Council (NJC), Justice (Mrs.) Alooma Muktar , to intervene in the abuse of the judiciary process, especially the "sale of judgement, when an appeal on the case is still pending at the court of appeal, Port Harcourt".

He equally called on the intervention of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice on the abuse of the courts to obtain Kangaroo judgement, as done in the judgement given in the IPMAN Crisis at the High Court in Abuja on Wednesday.

"We condemn the judgement in its entirety and still stand by the judgement of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, which declared Chief Obasi Lawson as the IPMAN President, until a superior court of law says otherwise.

"The idea of using the judiciary to buy judgement does not augur well for the democratic process that the nation has been enjoying for the past 15 years. It does not in any way protect the constitution of our great country in the eyes of the world", Achese said.

Speaking further, he said the union was involved in the leadership crisis because 60 per cent of IPMAN members are in NUPENG, adding that the union cannot fold its hands and allow members in IPMAN to suffer.

He noted that the collective bargaining agreement signed with IPMAN and Independent Marketers Branch was yet to be implemented for about 10 years due to the leadership crisis that has become the hallmark of the petroleum marketers association.