The bid by Scanad Nigeria, a new advertising agency to commence full operations in Nigeria suffered a major setback today as a Lagos High Court presided over by Justice G.M. Onyeabor ruled that the company and Scan Group, an advertising agency owned by Bharat Thakrar, a Kenyan-born Indian, has a case to answer in the dispute between Nigeria’s advertising agency PrimaGarnet Africa and Ogilvy Advertising network.

PrimaGarnet, owned by Lolu Akinwumi, incumbent Chairman of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), had approached the court seeking to reverse the sudden termination of its affiliation partnership with Ogilvy Africa. Scanad Nigeria, a subsidiary of Kenya-based Scan Group and which registered for business in Nigeria only in 2012, was joined as second defendants

But Scanad Nigeria, which has former President of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN) Rufai Ladipo as Managing Director, had approached the court seeking to be removed as co-defendants in the suit on the grounds that it has no relationship with Ogilvy Africa, contrary to what was contained in the statement of claims of PrimaGarnet.

However. PrimaGarnet, through its lawyer, Mr. Alade Agbabiaka (SAN), argued that Scanad Nigeria, having taken over the business of Ogilvy Africa and being the owner of majority shares of Ogilvy Africa, has a strong case to answer in the dispute that has pitted the Kenyan advertising agency against practically all the Nigerian agencies.

Mr. Agbabiaka told the court that there was no way Scan Group or Scanad Nigeria could separate itself from Ogilvy Africa and as such is complicit in the suit.

In her ruling, Justice Onyeabor agreed with the submissions of the plaintiff that Scanad and Ogilvy Africa cannot be separated and that as a result Scanad has a strong case to answer. She threw out all the submissions of the defence, a development that means the injunction placed on Scanad which prevents it from doing business in Nigeria pending the determination of the suit still subsists.

Scanad Group is the owner of 51 per cent of Ogilvy Africa. Trouble between PrimaGarnet and Scanad started, according to sources, when the Scan Group bought controlling shares in Ogilvy Africa and decided to enhance its African operations by opening in Nigeria. But PrimaGarnet, the Nigerian affiliate of Ogilvy, had kicked against this move, citing its affiliation agreement with the Ogilvy network which prevents the firm or any of its related companies from opening for business in the country.

News Express recalls that the affiliation agreement between PrimaGarnet and Ogilvy Africa was suddenly terminated by Ogilvy following the purported refusal of the Nigerian firm to accede to a takeover bid by Scanad. Bharat Thakrar had in a recent interview with a Nigerian news magazine admitted desiring to take over 51 percent of the company, insisting that he needed to “take full and absolute control of the company and be able to make the needed changes that would help raise standard of the Nigerian advertising landscape,” which he also described as poor and below global standards.

The dispute also affected Airtel Nigeria GSM company which was hitherto managed by PrimaGarnet on the strength of its partnership with Ogilvy Africa. Following the termination of its affiliation agreement with Ogilvy, Airtel had also allegedly terminated its agency contract with the Nigerian agency, a situation that precipitated another court case in the same court.

•Photo shows PrimaGarnet CEO, Lolu Akinwumi.