The leadership crisis rocking the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) branch covering NNPC Trading Limited and NNPC Shipping and Logistics Limited has deepened, following allegations that four elected members of the branch executive council were denied access to the venue of the disputed July 2026 election.
The four members, who were part of the former branch executive, have challenged their exclusion from the Delegates’ Conference where a new leadership was elected, describing the action as unconstitutional, discriminatory and an attempt to suppress dissent within the union.
In a petition dated August 5, the affected members alleged that they were neither suspended nor removed from office and therefore remained entitled to participate in the electoral process.
They claimed their exclusion came after they supported the position that the election should be conducted through a congress involving branch members rather than a Delegates’ Conference.
According to the petitioners, they arrived at the PENGASSAN Head Office Annex in Jahi, Abuja, on July 21, 2026, expecting to participate in the conference but were allegedly denied entry.
They claimed the entrance gate was locked while security personnel allegedly refused them access without providing any written explanation or identifying the constitutional provision authorising their exclusion.
The four members further alleged that while they remained outside the venue, another member of the Branch Executive Council, Bwaltam Musa, was permitted to enter and participate in the proceedings.
They argued that the selective exclusion amounted to unfair treatment and violated their rights as elected members of the Branch Executive Council.
The petitioners relied on Section 8.3.3 of the PENGASSAN 2025 Constitution, which they said provides for all members of the Branch Executive Council to form part of the Delegates’ Conference.
They therefore questioned how some BEC members could be excluded from a conference in which the leadership of the branch was to be elected.
The development has become a major component of the legal battle now before the National Industrial Court in Abuja, where concerned members are challenging the validity of the election that produced a new branch executive.
The claimants argue that the election was conducted after the tenure of the previous executive expired on June 22, 2026, and that several steps taken in preparation for the election were allegedly not authorised by the branch in accordance with PENGASSAN’s constitution.
At the heart of the dispute is also the decision to adopt a Delegates’ Conference instead of an election involving all branch members.
The claimants contend that the branch collectively was required to determine the mode of election, rather than the outgoing leadership allegedly making the decision after its tenure had expired.
The excluded executives have consequently described their treatment as more than an administrative disagreement, alleging that members who opposed the chosen electoral process were deliberately sidelined.
The claimants are asking the court to nullify the July 21 election and restrain the officials declared winners from presenting themselves as duly elected executives.
They are also seeking an order compelling PENGASSAN to constitute a caretaker committee to organise a fresh election in accordance with the union’s constitution.
The court is expected to determine, among other issues, whether the former executive remained constitutionally empowered to take steps toward conducting the election after its tenure expired and whether the procedure adopted for the Delegates’ Conference complied with PENGASSAN’s governing rules.
