The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has denied claims that it initiated a lawsuit against the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, and other marketers to revoke their licenses and halt fuel importation.
It clarified that the process to formally withdraw the lawsuit will begin in January 2025.
The Group’s Chief Branding and Communications Officer, Anthony Chiejina, revealed this in a statement on Monday.
Chiejina was responding to reports regarding a lawsuit filed at the Federal High Court aimed at stopping fuel importation by oil marketers and NNPCL.
According to the Dangote official, the case is not recent but stems from an issue that began in June, leading to a filing on September 6, 2024.
He further explained that subsequent events, such as the “naira for crude sales,” have rendered the lawsuit outdated and it will be withdrawn from court.
The statement titled ‘No Fresh Case Filed Against NNPCL, others’ also emphasized that the parties are engaged in discussions following President Bola Tinubu’s directive on the “crude oil and refined products sales in the naira initiative.”
The statement said, “This is an old issue that started in June and culminated in a matter being filed on September 6, 2024.
“Currently, the parties are in discussion since President Bola Tinubu’s directive on crude oil and refined products sales in the Naira Initiative, which was approved by the Federal Executive Council.
“We have made tremendous progress in that regard and events have overtaken this development.
“No party has been served with court processes and there is no intention of doing so. We have agreed to put a halt to the proceedings.
“It is important to stress that no orders have been made and there are no adverse effects on any party. We understand that once the matter comes up in January 2025, we will be in a position to formally withdraw the matter in court.”
