Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE has moved to alter its lawsuit against the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and others.
The appeal to alter the action came after the NNPCL filed a motion before Justice Inyang Ekwo of a Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking the court to dismiss the lawsuit due to incompetence.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Dangote Refinery filed a lawsuit against the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) as first and second defendants.
The originating summons, designated FHC/ABJ/CS/1324/2024 and dated September 6, also names AYM Shafa Limited, A A Rano Limited, T Time Petroleum Limited, 2015 Petroleum Limited, and Matrix Petroleum Services Limited as the third through seventh defendants, respectively.
The oil business, through its lawyer, Ogwu Onoja, petitioned the court to cancel import licenses issued by NMDPRA to NNPCL and five other entities to import refined petroleum products.
The plaintiff further requested that the court declare that the NMDPRA breached Sections 317(eight) and (nine) of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) by issuing licenses for the import of petroleum products.
It noted that such licenses should only be granted in cases where there is a petroleum product shortage.
It also claimed N100 billion in damages from NMDPRA for allegedly continuing to give import licenses to NNPCL and the five entities for importing petroleum products.
However, in its preliminary objection filed on November 15, the NNPCL (second defendant) sought the court to dismiss the lawsuit.
It claimed that the NNPC sued by the Dangote refinery was a non-existent company.
The corporation, through its counsel, Kehinde Ogunwumiju, stated that the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), as registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), is not the same as the second defendant sued by the plaintiff.
It further claimed that the court lacked jurisdiction over the second defendant named as NNPC.
