By Ayomide Otitoju
Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals has formally withdrawn its ₦100 billion lawsuit against the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), and five other petroleum companies.
The case, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, was discontinued following a notice submitted by Dangote’s legal team. The other defendants named in the suit included AYM Shafa Limited, A. A. Rano Limited, T. Time Petroleum Limited, 2015 Petroleum Limited, and Matrix Petroleum Services Limited.
No official reason was cited for the withdrawal, and it remains unclear whether the move followed an out-of-court settlement.
Dangote Refinery had accused NMDPRA of contravening Sections 317(8) and (9) of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) by issuing import licences despite the refinery’s claim that such permits should only be granted in the event of domestic product shortfalls. The refinery sought a declaration that the regulatory authority failed in its duty to promote local refining and demanded ₦100 billion in damages.
In separate counter-affidavits, the defendants argued that the plaintiff was attempting to monopolize the petroleum sector, insisting they were eligible to receive import licences. NMDPRA defended its actions, stating that Dangote’s output did not meet Nigeria’s daily consumption needs, and the licences were issued to bridge the supply gap.
Earlier, NNPC had filed a preliminary objection over an error in its name in the original filing, but the court overruled the objection, affirming the suit’s validity.
