Eleosgate Pharmacy and Stores Limited has accused the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) of corruption, abuse of office, and selective enforcement of regulatory standards after its application to operate a retail pharmacy in Kubwa, Abuja, was rejected in 2023 for violating the 200-metre distance rule—only for another operator to be approved at the same location nearly two years later without any physical or regulatory changes.
The allegation is contained in a formal petition dated 4 February 2026, submitted to the PCN by the company’s legal representatives, Lawrence Alabi & Co (Victory Chambers). The petition specifically indicts the Pharmaceutical Inspectorate Committee (PIC), acting on behalf of the Council, accusing it of regulatory double standards and possible corrupt practices in the approval of pharmacy locations within the Federal Capital Territory.
According to the petition, Eleosgate Pharmacy applied on 24 May 2023 for location approval to operate a retail pharmacy at Bahamas Plaza, Plot L35 FCDA Scheme, along Cardinal John Onaiyekan Street, Ext. III, Kubwa, Abuja. While the application was duly acknowledged, it was later rejected.
The company said the PCN justified the rejection on the grounds that the proposed site was less than 200 metres from an already approved pharmacy, allegedly in violation of PCN regulations governing the minimum distance between retail pharmacies.
However, Eleosgate Pharmacy maintained that the rejection was communicated without any transparent measurement report, documented site assessment, or verifiable inspection record to substantiate the claim that the 200-metre rule had been breached.
The dispute resurfaced after the company discovered that another pharmaceutical operator had recently received approval to operate a retail pharmacy within the same Bahamas Plaza, despite the fact that the physical structure of the plaza, its surroundings, and its proximity to existing pharmacies remain unchanged since 2023.
“It is deeply troubling that a location previously adjudged to be in violation of the 200-metre requirement has now been declared compliant for another applicant without any physical, environmental, or regulatory changes,” the petition stated.
Eleosgate Pharmacy described the development as clear evidence of regulatory inconsistency, discriminatory treatment, and possible corrupt influence within the pharmacy approval process, warning that such practices undermine transparency, fair competition, and public confidence in pharmaceutical regulation.
In the petition, the company demanded:
Pharmacy firm alleges corruption as PCN approves rejected site
