Lagos — A major legal blow has been dealt to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) after the National Industrial Court in Lagos annulled the election conducted for the association’s Chevron branch and ordered a fresh contest under federal government supervision.
The court nullified the September 16, 2025 election and directed PENGASSAN to organise another poll within 30 days of the judgment.
In a significant addition to the order, the court placed the new election under the supervision of the South-West Zonal Director of Labour, Federal Ministry of Labour, Lagos. The ministry official is also expected to submit a compliance report to the court within seven days of the conclusion of the exercise.
The ruling has injected fresh momentum into a simmering dispute within PENGASSAN, with aggrieved members describing the decision as a watershed moment in their campaign for stricter adherence to the association’s constitution.
More than 100 members from different PENGASSAN branches took part in a virtual media briefing over the weekend, where they welcomed the judgment and accused the association’s leadership of failing to uphold constitutional provisions.
The members said the court decision represented more than a dispute over a single branch election, arguing that it could become a catalyst for broader reforms within the association.
Former National Public Relations Officer, Kings Udoidua, described the alleged constitutional breaches as unprecedented in PENGASSAN’s history.
“In the history of PENGASSAN, we have never had this violation of the constitution,” Udoidua said.
He further alleged that the association had gradually been placed under the control of one individual, a claim that underscores the depth of the internal tensions surrounding the leadership of the union.
Udoidua described the court ruling as an “overwhelming victory” and alleged that efforts were being made to delay its implementation through an appeal.
However, Oyegbanran, one of the members pushing for enforcement of the judgment, said the group had not been served with a stay of execution.
He maintained that the members would therefore continue their efforts to ensure that the court’s directives are implemented.
The Chevron branch controversy is the latest in a series of disputes that have brought PENGASSAN’s internal affairs under increased scrutiny.
The association has also faced disagreements at other branches, including a suspension-related dispute involving some members of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
With the court imposing a clear deadline for a fresh election, the attention of PENGASSAN members will now shift to the conduct of the new poll and whether it can help calm the tensions that have emerged within the association.
The involvement of the Federal Ministry of Labour is also expected to provide an additional layer of oversight, as the ministry has been tasked with supervising the election and reporting compliance to the court.
For the aggrieved members, however, the Chevron election is only one piece of a much larger struggle. They insist that their campaign is aimed at restoring what they describe as the constitutional integrity of PENGASSAN and ensuring that future elections and internal decisions comply with the association’s governing rules.
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