The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has approached the Court of Appeal in Abuja, seeking permission to file a fresh appeal against a Federal High Court judgment that barred the regulator from imposing fines on broadcast stations.
The application follows the appellate court’s decision on June 17, 2026, to strike out the Commission’s earlier appeal after finding its notice of appeal to be “fundamentally defective.”
In a fresh application filed by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Dapo Akinosun, the NBC is asking the Court of Appeal to grant an extension of time to challenge the judgment delivered by Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia in a suit instituted by the Media Rights Agenda (MRA).
The Commission is also requesting permission to introduce a new legal argument questioning the legal capacity of the MRA to institute and maintain the original lawsuit.
The legal dispute dates back to 2022, when the NBC imposed ₦5 million fines on MultiChoice Nigeria Limited (DStv), TelCom Satellite Limited (TSTV), Trust-TV Network Limited, and NTA Startimes Limited.
The sanctions followed the broadcast of documentaries on banditry and insecurity in Zamfara State, which the Commission argued posed risks to national security.
However, Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia ruled that the NBC acted unlawfully and unconstitutionally, holding that the Commission does not possess judicial powers to impose punitive fines on broadcasters.
The court subsequently restrained the regulator from imposing sanctions under the Nigeria Broadcasting Code.
The NBC’s first attempt to overturn the judgment failed on June 17, 2026, when a panel of the Court of Appeal led by Justice Jane Inyang struck out the appeal.
The appellate court held that describing the appellant as the “Nigerian Broadcasting Commission” instead of the legally recognised “National Broadcasting Commission” constituted a fundamental defect that deprived the court of jurisdiction to hear the matter.
In its latest application, the NBC argued that the error resulted from an inadvertent mistake by its legal counsel and pointed out that the original appeal had been filed within the statutory deadline.
The NBC argued that the case raises issues of significant public interest and warned that allowing the High Court judgment to stand without appellate review could undermine its statutory responsibilities.
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According to the Commission, losing the authority to enforce compliance through sanctions could weaken broadcast regulation, encourage violations of the broadcasting code and increase the circulation of false, misleading or unverified information capable of causing public anxiety and social unrest.
The Commission therefore urged the Court of Appeal to grant leave for the fresh appeal in the interest of effective broadcasting regulation.
The Court of Appeal has not yet fixed a date to hear the application.
The latest filing represents another chapter in the NBC’s ongoing legal battle over its enforcement powers. In April 2026, the Court of Appeal also dismissed a separate appeal by the Commission challenging a 2023 Federal High Court judgment that similarly prohibited it from imposing fines on broadcast stations.
