Court Orders New Elections for PENGASSAN's Chevron Branch
A court has ordered PENGASSAN to hold new elections for its Chevron branch within 30 days, after nullifying the previous election and a caretaker committee appointed by the union's leadership.
The ruling by Justice Joyce Damachi of the Lagos Division of the National Industrial Court (NICN) came in response to a lawsuit filed by seven members of the Chevron Branch, who challenged the dissolution of their executive committees and branch elections held in September 2025.
The judge found that the union's leadership had breached its own constitution by dissolving the executive committees without prior approval from the National Executive Council (NEC) and appointing an eight-member caretaker committee with an extended tenure. She also ruled that the Chevron Branch bye-laws, reviewed in 2022, remain valid and in force.
The court dismissed the union's argument that NEC's ratification of the dissolution rectified any constitutional defects, stating that 'NEC approval was a prerequisite that should have been obtained before the dissolution.' The judge also criticized PENGASSAN for relying on a three-member fact-finding committee instead of the disciplinary body prescribed by its rules.