Court Adjourns FCCPC Contempt Proceedings Over Alleged Disobedience of Order

Justice Ambrose-Lewis Allagoa of the Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday adjourned to May 22, 2026, for hearing of committal proceedings filed against the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) over the alleged breach of a court order suspending the enforcement of the Digital Electronic Online and Non-Traditional Lending Regulations.

The suit was filed by the Wireless Application Service Providers Association of Nigeria Ltd/GTE (WASPAN) against the FCCPC in relation to the controversial regulations.

At the proceedings, counsel to the plaintiff, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, drew the court’s attention to what he described as the FCCPC’s contemptuous conduct despite the subsisting order restraining the implementation and enforcement of the regulations.

Pinheiro argued that the court must first protect its authority and sanctity before proceeding with the hearing of the pending applications.

He further informed the court that the plaintiff had brought the alleged acts of disobedience to the attention of the FCCPC’s counsel, who, instead of advising compliance with the court order, allegedly justified the actions in a letter dated May 5, 2026.

According to him, the FCCPC, in the letter, maintained that the actions of telecommunications companies were independent business decisions unrelated to the Digital Electronic Online and Non-Traditional Lending Regulations.

Responding, counsel to the FCCPC, Funke Aboyade, SAN, argued that the matter scheduled for hearing was the commission’s preliminary objection alongside the originating summons, and contended that the court could not proceed with the committal proceedings at this stage.

However, the court upheld the plaintiff’s position, stating that it was inclined to first determine the issue of the alleged contempt in order to preserve the authority and sanctity of the court.

The court further stressed that its orders must be obeyed and “guarded jealously,” adding that no party, irrespective of any jurisdictional objection, has the liberty to disregard subsisting court orders.

The matter was subsequently adjourned to May 22, 2026, for the commencement of committal proceedings against the FCCPC.