Court Allows PENGASSAN Election to Proceed Amid Dispute

On August 19, 2026, Justice M.A. Hamza ruled against an application by Sunday Ebulu and Koloh Edwin, who sought to stop the PENGASSAN national delegates' conference and election set for August 22, 2026, in Abuja.

The applicants are contesting the tenure of the current National President, Comrade Festus Osifo, claiming his three-year term expired on May 10, 2026. Osifo was re-elected unopposed for another three-year term on May 10, 2023.

The applicants are challenging an amendment to the PENGASSAN Constitution made in August 2025, which allows the deputy president to automatically succeed the national president. They argue this amendment is discriminatory and unconstitutional, violating Sections 40 and 42 of the 1999 Constitution.

The court ordered the respondents to respond within seven days, with the applicants allowed to reply within three days. Justice Hamza declined to stop the election or the conference while the substantive issues are being resolved.