Court Dismisses Lawsuit Against Electricity Tariff Increase

A Federal High Court in Lagos has dismissed a suit challenging the increase in electricity tariffs, deeming it an abuse of court process.

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) had brought eleven distribution companies (DisCos) before the court over the rising electricity tariffs for Band A customers.

In delivering judgment on Thursday, October 10, the court stated that the suit failed to comply with the provisions of Section 51 of the Electricity Act 2023.

This information was disclosed in a statement from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) on Wednesday.

“The court considered the arguments adduced by the parties and delivered a well-considered judgment on 7 October 2024 by ruling that MAN’s suit was an abuse of court process being premature and without due regard to the provisions of section 51 of the Electricity Act 2023.

The court also held that MAN’s case disclosed no reasonable cause of action and that by having not exhausted the internal mechanism of resolution of disputes, the suit was not instituted with due process of law and consequently struck out the case,” NERC said.

MAN has not yet reacted to the court ruling.

Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) approved an increase in electricity tariffs for customers in the Band A classification on April 3.