Fifteen staff members of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority have filed a lawsuit against the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria over their suspension and the appointment of a caretaker committee. The case, lodged at the National Industrial Court in Abuja, challenges the actions as unconstitutional. This dispute highlights ongoing tensions within the union's NMDPRA branch.
The lawsuit, marked NICN/ABJ/307/2025, stems from a crisis in the NMDPRA branch of PENGASSAN. On August 18, 2025, PENGASSAN's Central Working Committee suspended over 40 members, including the 15 claimants, for 10 years. The suspension letter, signed by General Secretary Comrade Lumumba Okugbawa, cited “allegations of misconduct, constitutional violations and actions prejudicial to the interest of the union.” It stated: “The CWC met on Monday, the 18th August, 2025 and deliberated on the report. At the end of the deliberations, we hereby wish to inform you that your membership of the Association is suspended for Ten (10) years with immediate effect.”
The claimants argue that the suspension, the formation of a caretaker committee, and the failure to hold branch elections violate the PENGASSAN Constitution 2022. They contend that branch affairs cannot be managed by a caretaker committee for more than three months, during which elections must be conducted. The suit seeks declarations that extending the caretaker beyond this period is “unconstitutional, illegal and unknown to the PENGASSAN constitution,” and that the suspension by the CWC, based on a recommendation from an Ethical, Grievance and Disciplinary Committee not constituted by the branch executive committee, is “unconstitutional, illegal, null and void.”
Defendants include PENGASSAN, National President Comrade Festus Osifo, General Secretary Comrade Lumumba Ighotemu Okugbawa, and caretaker committee members Comrade Tony Izogba, Comrade Gbolahan Akinyo, Comrade Okechuwku Nwanko, Comrade Abba Safana, and Comrade Polycarp Ihejirika. Filed under section 254(C) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution and NICN rules, the originating summons raises 16 issues and requests 18 reliefs.
This case is part of broader controversies in PENGASSAN branches, including a similar dispute at the Chevron branch where a court ordered parties to maintain peace.