A Competition and Consumer Protection (CCP) Tribunal sitting in Abuja on Thursday restrained MultiChoice Nigeria Limited from hiking its subscription rates for DStv and GOtv packages scheduled to take effect from tomorrow, April 1.
A three-member tribunal, presided over by Thomas Okosun, which had Sola Salako Ajulo and Ibrahim EL-Yakubu as members, gave the order following an ex-parte motion moved by Festus Onifade, a legal practitioner, on behalf of himself and the Coalition of Nigeria Consumers.
In the suit marked CCPT/OP/1/2022, Multi-Choice Nigeria Limited and Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) are 1st and 2nd respondents respectively.
The motion ex-parte filed by the applicants on March 29 was brought pursuant to Section 39 (1) & (2) of FCCPC Act 2018; Order 26, Rule 5 (2), (3) & 26 Rule 6 (1) & (2) Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2019 and Section 47(a), (b), (c),(d), of Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018.
The applicants had prayed the Tribunal for “an order of interim injunction restraining the 1st defendants/respondents, either by itself, agents, representatives, officers or privies, howsoever described, from carrying out the impending increase in tariffs and cost of its products and services intended to take effect from 1st April, 2022, until the hearing and determination of the motion on notice already filed before this tribunal.
“An order of the Honourable Tribunal mandating the 1st defendant/respondents to maintain status quo pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
“And for such further order or other orders as this Honourable Tribunal may deem fit to make in the circumstance”, they pleaded.
In the ruling, the tribunal ordered MultiChoice Nigeria Limited to stop the planned hike in tariffs and cost of its products and services pending the hearing and determination of the motion.
“The 1st defendant/respondent is hereby restrained, either by itself, agents, representatives, officers or privies, howsoever described, from carrying out the impending increase in tariffs and cost of its products and services intended to take effect from 1st April, 2022 until the hearing and determination of the motion on notice already filed before this Honourable Tribunal.
“The 1st defendant/respondent is hereby mandated to maintain status quo pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice,” the tribunal ruled.
The court adjourned the matter until April 11 for the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
It ordered: “All parties in this suit are to appear before this Honourable Tribunal on the 11th day of April, 2022.”
It would be recalled that MultiChoice had on March 22 announced the upward review of its subscription rates for the pay-TV bouquets from April 1 this year, citing rising inflation and cost of doing business as reasons for its decision.
