Chairman of the Chamber of Oil Marketing Companies (COMAC), Gabriel Kumi, says the decision by Star Oil to suspend its membership of the Chamber came as a complete surprise.

Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express, Business Edition on Thursday, Mr Kumi said the market leader’s move was unexpected, given its long-standing role and influence within the Association.

“We didn’t see it coming,” he said.

His comments follow Star Oil’s decision to suspend its COMAC membership amid growing disagreement over the petroleum price floor, a policy that has sharply divided players in the downstream petroleum sector.

Mr Kumi stressed that Star Oil has not been a peripheral member of the Chamber. “Star Oil has been a very key member of the Chamber,” he said.

He noted that the company holds a senior leadership position within COMAC and has played a major role in its growth.

“Indeed, Star occupies the number two position, that is, the vice chair of our Chamber, and they have contributed a lot towards the success story of the Chamber,” he said.

Because of that history, he said the decision to suspend membership was not anticipated.

“So we never saw that coming,” he added.

The COMAC Chairman acknowledged that Star Oil has, in recent times, raised concerns about certain policies pursued by the Chamber, particularly regarding fuel pricing.

“However, we are very much aware of certain disagreements with certain policies that Star Oil has been expressing,” he said.

Still, he said those disagreements did not appear severe enough to trigger such a drastic step.

“But we didn’t really think that it was going to get this far,” Mr Kumi said.

Star Oil announced its suspension from COMAC earlier this week, describing the decision as indefinite.

The company cited concerns about the fair representation of members’ views and about how the Chamber has handled the ongoing debate over the petroleum price floor.

The price floor policy, introduced to curb price undercutting among oil marketing companies, has become one of the most contentious regulatory issues in the industry.

While some players argue it protects market stability, others say it distorts competition and hurts consumers.

Star Oil’s exit has intensified pressure on COMAC as it works to present a unified position on the policy, even as divisions deepen within the Association.