The order prohibiting President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, from revoking the licenses of fifty-three broadcast stations in Nigeria and shutting down the stations for allegedly failing to renew their licenses was extended on Thursday by the Federal High Court in Lagos State.
Following the hearing of a motion ex parte argument by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, and Nigerian Guild of Editors, NGE, Justice Akintayo Aluko had issued an order of temporary injunction in August.
The ruling was approved while the motion on notice for an interim injunction was being heard.
Justice Daniel Emeka Osiagor postponed the matter to October 26th, 2022 for the hearing of the originating summons when the case was called before the court for hearing on Thursday. The interim injunction order had already been extended awaiting the hearing of the motion on notice.
Following the hearing of an argument by SERAP and NGE counsel, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN, the Court prolonged the order of temporary injunction.
SERAP and NGE sued Buhari and NBC in August, requesting "a declaration that section 10(a) of the Third Schedule to the NBC Act used by NBC to threaten to revoke the licenses of 53 broadcast stations and to shut down the stations is unconstitutional and unlawful and violates freedom of expression" from the court.
The lawsuit came when NBC decided to cancel the broadcast stations' licenses and shut down their operations within a day due to an alleged N2.6 billion dept accumulated by the stations.