A leadership crisis has engulfed the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) branch covering NNPC Trading Limited (NTL) and NNPC Shipping and Logistics Limited (NSL), following a suit seeking to nullify the branch’s July 2026 election.
The claimants, acting on behalf of concerned members of the branch, have approached the National Industrial Court in Abuja, asking it to declare the election invalid on the grounds that it was conducted after the tenure of the previous executive had expired.
They are also seeking an order restraining the officials declared winners from presenting themselves as duly elected executives and directing PENGASSAN to constitute a caretaker committee to conduct a fresh election.
At the centre of the dispute is the tenure of the branch executive elected on June 22, 2023, and the procedure adopted for the election held on July 21, 2026.
The claimants contend that the 2023 executive, led by Amaoge Chukwudi as chairman, was elected for a three-year tenure, which expired on June 22, 2026.
They relied on Rule 20.1 of the PENGASSAN 2022 Constitution and documents relating to the 2023 election to support their position.
According to the claimants, members had raised concerns several weeks before the expiration of the tenure and urged the outgoing executive to commence preparations for a transition.
They said the issue was also raised during an emergency congress on May 7, 2026, where the chairman reportedly assured members that plans for the election were underway.
The claimants, however, alleged that no clear electoral timetable or guidelines were subsequently communicated to members.
They said members were not formally informed of the positions to be contested, screening requirements, nomination procedures, delegate accreditation or other electoral arrangements.
The dispute intensified on July 20 when concerned members submitted a petition to PENGASSAN’s Central Working Committee through the General Secretary.
In the petition titled, “Urgent Petition Against Unconstitutional Electoral Conduct And Disenfranchisement Of Members – NNPC Trading Limited & NNPC Shipping & Logistics Limited Branch,” the members alleged that the outgoing leadership had undermined internal democracy.
They also questioned the decision to conduct the election through a Delegates’ Conference instead of a congress involving all branch members.
The claimants cited Rule 8.3.2 of the PENGASSAN 2025 Constitution, which provides for the choice between a Quadrennial Conference of all members and a Delegates’ Conference.
They argued that the decision on the mode of election was the responsibility of the branch as a whole and not solely that of the Branch Executive Council or Branch Executive Committee.
They further alleged that key decisions concerning the electoral process were taken after June 22, when the tenure of the outgoing executive had expired.
The claimants also questioned the selection of additional delegates, contending that Section 8.3.3 of the 2025 Constitution requires delegates to be nominated and accredited in line with applicable by-laws and guidelines approved by the National Secretariat.
They alleged that no such framework was properly presented or communicated to members.
The members subsequently asked the CWC to recognise the expiration of the outgoing executive’s tenure, invalidate the appointment of additional delegates, suspend the election, appoint an independent returning officer and issue a fresh electoral timetable.
Despite the complaints, the election proceeded on July 21 and produced the officials now listed as defendants in the suit.
The claimants are specifically challenging a July 13 letter signed by Chukwudi and titled, “Request for Approval of the 1st Quadrennial Branch Delegates’ Election,” which was addressed to the PENGASSAN General Secretary.
They argued that Chukwudi’s tenure had already expired when the request was made and that he therefore lacked the constitutional authority to determine or initiate the branch’s electoral process.
The claimants also alleged that members of the NTL-NSL branch had not collectively decided whether the election should be conducted through a Quadrennial Conference or a Delegates’ Conference before the request was submitted.
The controversy was further fuelled by a petition dated August 5 from four members of the former Branch Executive Council.
The four alleged that they were unlawfully excluded from the Delegates’ Conference despite being duly elected members of the BEC and having neither been suspended nor removed from office.
They claimed they were excluded after supporting the position that the election should be conducted through a congress rather than a Delegates’ Conference.
According to them, they arrived at the PENGASSAN Head Office Annex in Jahi, Abuja, on July 21 but were denied access to the venue.
They alleged that the entrance gate was locked and security personnel refused to allow them in without providing a written explanation or identifying the constitutional basis for the exclusion.
They further claimed that while they remained outside, another BEC member, Bwaltam Musa, was allowed into the venue.
The four members relied on Section 8.3.3 of the PENGASSAN Constitution, which provides for the composition of the conference to include all members of the Branch Executive Council.
