A Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled that the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has no legal power to suspend or regulate subscription prices set by MultiChoice Nigeria, the owners of DStv and GOtv.
Justice James Omotoso delivered the verdict on Thursday, stating that only the President, through a formal gazetted directive, can approve such action. Since no such directive was presented, the court ruled that the FCCPC acted outside its mandate.
The judge criticised MultiChoice for filing the case in Abuja despite a similar case already ongoing in Lagos, calling it an abuse of court process. However, he noted that Nigeria operates a free market system where service providers are allowed to fix prices, and consumers have the choice to accept or reject them.
He also said FCCPC’s directive to suspend the price hike violated MultiChoice’s right to fair hearing and was not backed by law.
