By Ken Chiwendu
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), has fixed October 7, 2025, for the arraignment of the Chairman of MultiChoice Nigeria Limited, Adewunmi Ogunsanya; and the Managing Director of the company, John Ugbe; over allegations of breaching the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, 2018.
Justice James Omotosho set the date after counsel for FCCPC Chizenum Nsitem, applied for an adjournment due to the absence of the defendants in court.
When the matter was called on Tuesday ,none of the defendants appeared in court, citing improper service of court documents, including the hearing notice.
The prosecuting counsel requested an adjournment to ensure proper service, which the judge granted, adjourning the matter until October 7, for the defendants to enter their pleas.
The list of those to be arraigned alongside the chairman and MD of the company include six senior officers of the pay-TV company, such as the CEO of MultiChoice Africa Holdings, Fhulufhelo Badugela; Chief Financial Officer for Africa, Retiel Tromp; and Group Executive for Corporate Affairs, Keabetswe Modimoeng.
Others are a director, Adebusola Bello; Fuad Ogunsanya; and Gozie Onumonu, who is the Head of Regulatory Affairs and Government Relations, alongside the company itself.
The defendants are slammed with seven counts
MultiChoice Nigeria Limited is the first defendant, while Ogunsanya, Ugbe, Badugela, Tromp, Modimoeng, Bello, Fuad Ogunsanya, and Onumonu are named as the second to ninth defendants.
In the first count, MultiChoice Nigeria Limited is accused of failing, without sufficient reason, to appear before the FCCPC on March 6, at No. 23 Jimmy Carter Street, Asokoro, Abuja, in response to a lawful summons issued on February 25. This is alleged to contravene Section 33(3) of the FCCP Act, 2018.
In the sixth count, Ogunsanya, Ugbe, and others, as directors of the company, are alleged to have on March 6, caused MultiChoice Nigeria Limited to impede an FCCPC investigation by refusing to produce requested documents. This offence is said to contravene Section 110 of the FCCP Act, 2018.
It will be recalled that MultiChoice, the operator of DStv and GOtv, recently increased its subscription rates, prompting an FCCPC directive to appear before it on February 27 and explain the reason behind the price adjustment which the company failed to honour.
MultiChoice instead responded with a suit to prevent the FCCPC from taking action against it by the arbitrary price hike but Justice Omotosho dismissed the suit.
The judge held that the suit constituted an abuse of the court process, noting that it was filed after a similar suit on the issue by a lawyer, Festus Onifade, which already named MultiChoice and the FCCPC as parties.
