Nigerian telecommunications operators have approached the Federal High Court in Abuja to challenge the House of Representatives’ planned investigation into poor network services, arguing that the exercise falls within the regulatory responsibilities of the Nigerian Communications Commission.

The operators, comprising the Registered Trustees of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria, MTN Nigeria Communications Plc, Airtel Networks Limited, Globacom Limited and Emerging Markets Telecommunication Services Limited, which operates 9mobile, filed the suit on November 4, 2026.

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The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2713/2026, names the House of Representatives, the Speaker, the Clerk of the House and the Inspector-General of Police as defendants.

The legal action follows summonses issued on October 29 by the House’s ad hoc committee on quality of service, directing the chief executives of the telecommunications companies to appear before it and submit relevant documents.

The operators are asking the court to determine whether the National Assembly has the constitutional authority to investigate telecommunications service quality, which they maintain is regulated by the NCC.

They argue that Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution limit the investigative powers of the National Assembly to specific purposes, including assisting in lawmaking, exposing corruption, inefficiency or waste in the execution of laws, and examining the administration of public funds appropriated by the legislature.

According to the plaintiffs, the telecommunications companies are private operators and do not fall within the constitutional provisions governing the execution or administration of laws or the management of public funds.

They also cited Sections 4, 70 and 105 of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003, alongside the Nigerian Communications (Quality of Service) Regulations, 2024, which they said vest the NCC with responsibility for setting, monitoring and enforcing service quality standards in the industry.

The operators contend that allowing the proposed investigation to proceed could interfere with the commission’s statutory regulatory functions.

They further argued that the exercise could affect two pending court cases concerning telecommunications service quality.

The cases are HCS/261/2025, instituted by Fatokunboh Fagun and another on behalf of themselves and MTN subscribers, and FHC/ABJ/CS/1886/2026, filed by Kaatruths Podcast Limited.

Among the reliefs sought, the plaintiffs want the court to nullify the summonses issued by the House committee and restrain the lawmakers and other defendants from enforcing them.

They are also seeking an order preventing the House from using arrest warrants or other enforcement measures to compel the companies chief executives to appear or produce documents.

Additionally, the operators want an injunction restraining the House from investigating telecommunications service quality where such investigations fall outside the purposes permitted under Section 88(2) of the Constitution or interfere with the NCC’s statutory responsibilities.

The suit raises questions about the boundaries of legislative investigative powers and the extent of the NCC’s authority in regulating Nigeria’s telecommunications industry.

The court is expected to determine whether the House’s proposed investigation falls within its constitutionally defined powers.

It was earlier reported that the House of Representatives gave MTN Nigeria, Airtel, Globacom, Mafab Communications and other telecommunications operators seven days to explain the persistent poor quality of network services across the country.