Tribunal Pegs Date For Judgement In Suit Against DStv, Gotv Operators

• Tribunal fixes date for judgment in suit against MultiChoice

• …in the latest originating summons is suing the firm, the operators of DStv and Gotv, for N10 million damages.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that a claim brought against MultiChoice, the operator of Govt and DStv, over the recent price hike on their products and subscription fee has been set for decision on September 6 by the Competition and Consumer Protection (CCPC) Tribunal sitting in Abuja.

After hearing arguments for and against the case from the parties’ attorneys, the tribunal, presided over by Mr. Thomas Okosun, set the date on Monday.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the tribunal granted Onifade’s reliefs in a request for permission to revise his previous originating summons and to consider it to have been duly filed on June 20.

The attorney is suing the company that runs DStv and Gotv for N10 million in damages in the most recent originating summons.

Onifade further requested that the tribunal issue an order directing and mandating MultiChoice to immediately adopt a pay-as-you-view form of charging for all of its goods and services in the modified originating summons, which was originally due on June 17 but was filed on June 20.

Onifade, a lawyer, and Coalition of Nigeria Consumers, according to NAN, sued the business and Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) as the first and second respondents shortly after the business announced on March 22 that it would raise the price of its products starting on April 1.

They had prayed the tribunal for an order, restraining the firm from increasing its services and other products on April 1, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice dated and filed on March 30, and the tribunal granted the ex-parte motion, directing parties to maintain status quo ante bellum.

But despite the tribunal’s order, the company was alleged to have gone ahead with the price increase on DStv and Gotv subscriptions.

And on April 11, the tribunal again ordered MultiChoice to revert back to the old prices by maintaining status quo of its March 30 order, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive matter.

But counsel for MultiChoice, Jamiu Agoro, in a motion in notice on Thursday, challenged the jurisdiction of the tribunal to hear the matter.

The prayers, according to the lawyer, include “an order for stay of execution of the order of the Honourable Tribunal made on March 30, pending the determination of the instant application; an order setting aside and discharging the order of the CCPT made on March 30 in this present suit.

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An order of the Honourable tribunal striking out the suit in limine for want of jurisdiction by the tribunal, and for such further order or other orders as this Honourable Tribunal may deem fit to make in the circumstances.”

In his six grounds enumerated, Agoro argued that the tribunal lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit as the claimants lacked the competence to institute the action.

The tribunal then adjourned the matter until today (Monday) to take the substantive suit and the defendants’ responses.

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