The National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), Lagos Division, has directed all parties to maintain peace pending the resolution of a leadership crisis rocking the Chevron Branch of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).

The trial judge, Joyce Onugba-Damachi, issued the order on Friday while hearing a suit filed by seven senior staff members of Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), challenging the alleged unlawful dissolution of the branch’s executive committees and the imposition of a Caretaker Committee (CTC) by the union’s national leadership.

The suit, marked NICN/LA/214/2025, was filed by Sunday Ebulu, Ete Oyegbanren, Edwin Koloh, Samuel Akinfe, Fola Oyinbo, Alaba Fadola, and Jeremiah Odior, who sued for themselves and as concerned members of the Chevron Branch.

They are seeking judicial interpretation of the PENGASSAN Constitution and a declaration that the actions of the union’s national officers violated their rights as members.

The defendants in the matter include PENGASSAN, its National President, Comrade Festus Osifo, General Secretary, Comrade Lumumba Ighotemu Okugbawa; and members of the Chevron Branch Caretaker Committee, namely Egbadon Lawrence, Ani Ikechukwu, Ofoma Ugochukwu, Lawal Abdul-Kabir Oluwaseyi, Ogbudu Roland, Udolu Paul, Asekutu Wilson, and Lavin Aghaunor.

At Friday’s proceedings, claimants’ counsel, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), applied to withdraw a pending motion for interlocutory relief to enable an expedited hearing of the substantive case.

Counsel to the defendants, Ambassador Sola Iji, did not oppose the application.

Justice Onugba-Damachi granted the withdrawal and directed that the case file be reassigned to another judge for accelerated hearing, explaining that as a vacation judge, she could not take arguments or deliver judgment on the substantive matter.

She further ordered all parties to maintain peace and cooperate with the court to ensure a timely resolution of the dispute.

In their affidavit in support of the originating summons, deposed to by Sunday Ebulu, the claimants said PENGASSAN is a recognised trade union under Nigerian law, governed by several organs, including the National Delegates’ Conference, National Executive Council (NEC), Branch Executive Council (BEC), and Branch Executive Committee (BECOM).

They explained that the Chevron Branch had operated smoothly under its bye-laws, adopted in February 2017 and approved by the National Secretariat, until September 2024, when its BEC passed a vote of no confidence in the Branch Chairman and requested his removal in line with the union’s constitution.

Rather than investigating the allegations, the claimants alleged that the PENGASSAN President and General Secretary unilaterally dissolved the Branch and Chapter Executive Committees in October 2024 and installed an eight-member Caretaker Committee, contrary to Rule 32.4, which provides for only five members and a maximum tenure of three months.

They contended that no disciplinary procedure, as prescribed under Schedule 2 of the union’s constitution, was followed before the dissolution and that the CTC’s tenure had been unlawfully extended several times, most recently on April 7, 2025.

They are also challenging the purported revocation of the Chevron Branch bye-laws, which they insist remains valid under Rule 16.3 since no NEC resolution has been formally communicated.

In addition, they faulted the July 30, 2025, election guidelines, which they argued are unconstitutional because they reversed the order of elections by conducting Branch elections before Chapter elections, and because delegates were appointed by the CTC rather than elected by members.

According to Ebulu, these actions have disenfranchised over 1,200 Chevron Branch members and threaten the peace and progress of the association unless urgently addressed.

He urged the court to hear and determine the matter expeditiously, warning that failure to intervene would perpetuate injustice and further destabilise the union’s operations.