By Olamilekan FAWAS
The National Industrial Court sitting in Abuja on Wednesday granted an order for service of contempt proceedings against the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN), Abuja branch, for constant breach of court orders.
Justice Sanusi Kado granted the order to the claimants, Mr. Seyi Gambo and Comrade Declan Agrinya, members of the association after they applied for it.
The defendants in this suit were PENGASSAN, Mr Aminu Ahmed, Idemudia Oseahon, Agora Jubril, Ogbonnaya Okegeri, Abubakar Haruna, Hasiya Ibrahim, Alice Isah, Ivy Ogbonselebo, Sanusi Abdurrahim and Wale Ajayi.
The defendants were being sued before Justice Sanusi Kado for breach of the claimants’ fundamental human rights, and denial of their entitlements.
The claimants had particularly filed this suit in 2016 to challenge the executive union of the Abuja branch of the PENGASSAN that the election that produced the union in 2015 was not in line with the association’s constitution.
They also prayed the court to declare the 2015 election as null and void and to order a fresh election for the union and for the claimants’ entitlement to be paid from 2016 to date.
The claimants’ further prayed the court for an order to direct the defendants to pay N10 millions as general damages for the breach of their right to fair hearing on the election and N5 million for exemplary damages for injustice.
The defendants filed a preliminary objection after several sittings on the matter, saying that the court had no jurisdiction to hear the suit but the objection was dismissed by the Judge on May 11.
The defendants also said in another preliminary objection that the claimants failed to use the internal dispute resolution mechanism in settling the election crisis before running to the court, which was equally dismissed by the Judge.
The Judge, after hearing from the parties in the suit, adjourned until July 18 for the hearing of the substantive suit.
TBI Africa reports that the two motions filed by the defendants were dismissed on May 11 for lack of merit.
TBI Africa also recalled that Justice Kado dismissed one of the motions which said that the claimants did not explore the internal dispute resolution mechanism on the ground that the PENGASSAN constitution tried to oust the right of Nigerians from seeking adjudication in the law court.
