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Refinery says competition agency lacks relevance in petroleum license dispute
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Court earlier dismissed FCCPC’s joinder application in March ruling
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Case adjourned to September 29 as Dangote challenges oil firms’ licenses
Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE has opposed a fresh attempt by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to join and challenge its N100 billion import license lawsuit.
At the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday, the refinery’s counsel, Chief George Ibrahim (SAN), argued that the FCCPC was “no longer necessary” as a party in the suit, insisting the Commission lacked legal grounds to interfere in the matter.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1324/2024, was filed by Dangote Refinery to nullify import licenses granted by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to several oil firms, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Matrix Petroleum Services Limited, and others.
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Justice Inyang Ekwo had earlier dismissed FCCPC’s application to join the case, ruling in March 2025 that the Commission had failed to prove its relevance under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
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On Thursday, FCCPC’s counsel, Mr Terhemba Gbashima, told the court the Commission had filed an appeal against its exclusion and urged the judge to halt proceedings. But Ibrahim countered that the Court of Appeal had refused FCCPC’s earlier application for a stay of proceedings.
“The FCCPC is a meddlesome interloper. The Petroleum Industry Act does not grant it authority over licensing or levies in this matter,” Ibrahim said.
Justice Ekwo held that the FCCPC could not continue to participate in the proceedings and adjourned the case to September 29 for hearing.
