The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria has adopted a new leadership succession model aimed at ensuring smooth transitions and reducing internal disputes during changes in the union’s leadership.

PENGASSAN President, Festus Osifo, announced the development on Saturday in Abuja during a tribute programme held in honour of the union’s late former president, Francis Johnson.

Osifo said the association amended its constitution in August 2025 to introduce a system under which the elected deputy president will automatically become president at the end of the incumbent’s tenure.

He explained that the decision followed a review of leadership transition challenges within the union and an assessment of succession models used by professional organisations, including the Nigerian Bar Association and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria.

According to him, the new arrangement removes the need for a separate presidential contest, helping to reduce tension and promote stability within the association.

Osifo noted that preparations for PENGASSAN’s leadership transition, scheduled for August 22, 2026, have remained peaceful under the new system, unlike previous transitions that were often marked by internal disagreements.

He added that the reform was inspired in part by the leadership vacuum created after the death of former PENGASSAN President Francis Johnson in 2019 and is intended to strengthen continuity and unity within the union.