In a recent development, the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal (CCPT) in Abuja has issued an order to restrain Multichoice Nigeria Limited, the owners of Dstv and GOtv, from raising their tariffs and costs of products and services, which were set to commence on May 1st.
The interim order was granted by a three-member tribunal chaired by Saratu Shafii, in response to an ex-parte motion presented by Ejiro Awaritoma, who is the counsel for the applicant, Festus Onifade.
The tribunal’s ruling effectively prevents Multi-Choice from implementing the planned price increase slated to start from May 1st. This restriction will remain in place until the hearing and resolution of the motion that has been submitted.
Saratu Shafii declared, “The 1st defendant is hereby restrained from taking any step(s) that may negatively affect the rights of the claimant and other consumers in respect of the suit pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.”
All parties involved in the case have been directed to appear before the tribunal on May 7th at 10 am for the hearing and resolution of the pending motion.
The legal action against Multi-Choice Nigeria Ltd and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) was initiated by Onifade through a suit filed on April 29, marked as CCPT/OP/2/2024.
The suit presented by Onifade, a legal practitioner, requested two specific orders. These included an interim injunction to restrain the 1st defendant from proceeding with the planned price increase starting from May 1, 2024, pending the hearing and resolution of the motion on notice.
Also sought was an order to prevent the 1st defendant from taking any actions that could harm the rights of the claimant and other consumers involved in the case until the motion on notice is resolved.
Additional members of the tribunal are Thomas Okosun and Dr. Umar Duhu.