A leadership crisis has erupted within the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) as members of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) branch accuse the union’s national executives of breaching constitutional provisions and stifling internal democracy.
In a petition to the Registrar of Trade Unions, Ministry of Labour and Productivity, the members alleged that Festus Osifo, PENGASSAN’s national president, and the general secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, were guilty of “abuse of office, undemocratic conduct and constitutional violations.”
The petition, signed by over 523 members, representing more than two-thirds of the NMDPRA branch, said the crisis stemmed from the decision of the national leadership to impose a caretaker committee (CTC) on the branch instead of allowing it to conduct elections.
According to documents seen by TheCable, the branch rejected the caretaker arrangement, describing it as “wrong, unacceptable and unconstitutional.”
“We have made repeated attempts to resolve this matter through dialogue and official correspondence, but the national leadership has failed to respond,” the petitioners stated. “Their continuous actions amount to deliberate violation of the rights of branches and a disregard for democratic processes.”
The members said that when the matter was taken to the Minister of Labour and Employment, his office urged restraint and called for a suspension of elections to allow mediation. However, the national leadership allegedly proceeded to inaugurate the CTC “almost immediately,” further deepening the dispute.
The branch members argue that the move undermines the credibility of the union, warning that unless the federal government intervenes, the actions of the national leadership could erode confidence in PENGASSAN and weaken democratic structures within Nigeria’s labour movement.
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