The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed an objection by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) challenging the competence of a suit filed by Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE.
Dangote Refinery is seeking to nullify licences granted by the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to certain oil marketers for the importation of refined petroleum products.
NNPCL, in its objection, questioned the court’s jurisdiction and requested to be removed from the case, arguing that it was not properly identified. The company claimed that it was sued under “Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation” rather than its registered name, “Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.”
However, Justice Inyang Ekwo ruled on Wednesday that NNPCL’s objection was invalid as it did not comply with Order 29 of the Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules (FHCCPR) 2019. The judge emphasized that NNPCL should have filed a counter-affidavit in response to the suit before raising an objection.
He further explained that any legal challenge regarding jurisdiction must align with the FHCCPR provisions, which NNPCL failed to do. As a result, the court dismissed NNPCL’s preliminary objection, paving the way for the case to proceed.
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