Global Gas gets Supreme Court nod to reopen key issues in Shell dispute

The Supreme Court has given leave to Global Gas and Refining Limited to raise new issues in its amended appeal against Shell Petroleum Development Company. This comes after the apex court heard the case regarding a $1.3 billion sale/divestment of Shell's assets to Renaissance Consortium, which Global Gas opposes. The court's ruling on May 22, 2026, allows Global Gas to argue the inherent jurisdiction of the Supreme Court under Section 6(6)(a) of the Nigerian Constitution, 1999, in order to resolve the dispute conclusively.

The case stems from a 2020 Lagos High Court decision that set aside an arbitral tribunal's award which dismissed Global Gas's contract claims against Shell. The court emphasized the importance of full disclosure in international commercial arbitration and noted that the dispute was already before the Supreme Court, but NUPRC was not a party.

Shell had previously announced its intention to divest Nigerian onshore assets in 2021, but the sale was rejected by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission due to concerns over Renaissance's qualifications to manage the assets.