Three major petroleum products marketers; Matrix Energy, AA Rano and AYM Shafa have applied to be joined as parties to the fresh lawsuit filed by Dangote Petroleum Refinery seeking N100 billion in damages from the Federal Government over the latter’s decision to reintroduce the petroleum products import licence regime.

The application is contained in a Motion on Notice for joinder dated June 16, 2026, filed before the Federal High Court in Lagos by their lawyers, Ahmed Raji, SAN, and Sir Chris Ekemezie.

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Matrix Energy, AA Rano and AYM Shafa prayed for the court to join them as necessary parties, arguing that the suit could not be fairly and conclusively determined without hearing from companies directly affected by the reliefs sought.

According to the marketers, they and other licensed operators had invested more than $20 billion in infrastructure, logistics and retail networks supporting the importation and distribution of petroleum products across Nigeria.

They said they had operated under licences issued by the NMDPRA for more than two decades, long before Dangote Refinery entered the downstream petroleum sector.

According to the applicants, any order invalidating their licences, sealing their facilities or preventing them from importing products would directly affect their businesses, workers and investments.

The three companies further alleged that Dangote Refinery had, since commencing operations, consistently pushed for the termination of petroleum-product imports into Nigeria.

They cited calls by the President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, for refined petroleum products to be included among items restricted under the Federal Government’s “Nigeria First” policy.

The marketers argued that the fresh suit was intended to force competing businesses out of the downstream market and establish a monopoly allegedly prohibited by the Petroleum Industry Act.

They warned that granting the refinery’s prayers could have far-reaching consequences for their employees, the petroleum industry and the Nigerian economy.

The applicants also asked the court to hold that the fresh action constituted an abuse of court process because of an earlier import-licence suit instituted by Dangote Refinery.

Oracle Intelligence recalls that Dangote Refinery had, in April 2026, filed an ex parte application seeking an interim injunction restraining the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), as well as the and Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) from issuing or renewing petroleum-product import licences pending the determination of its substantive application.

Justice C.J. Aneke, however, directed the parties to maintain the status quo pending the determination of the Motion on Notice filed alongside the ex parte application.

Dangote Refinery subsequently accused the NMDPRA of continuing to issue import licences despite the subsisting order, describing the action as an active breach of the court’s directive.

The matter has been adjourned until October 7, 2026.

Dangote had similarly filed a lawsuit in 2025 seeking to nullify licences granted to NNPC Limited, AYM Shafa, AA Rano, T. Time Petroleum, 2015 Petroleum and Matrix Petroleum Services.

It also sought N100 billion in damages in that suit but subsequently discontinued the action in July 2025.

Dangote Refinery unexpectedly withdrew the lawsuit, telling the court: “Take notice that the plaintiff herein discontinues this suit against the defendants forthwith.”