The High Court has dismissed two interlocutory applications seeking to restrain the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) from proceeding with the embossment and distribution of vehicle number plates for 2026.

The applications were filed by 26 vehicle embossment companies and their parent association, challenging the award of a new contract by the authority. The motions, lodged on 22 December 2025 and 5 January 2026, were argued in court on Tuesday by counsel for the plaintiffs.

The first sought an injunction to prevent the DVLA and the awarded company from producing or distributing number plates pending the final determination of the substantive suit. The second aimed to restrain the defendants from embossing or distributing number plates in any format, including digitalised plates, until the case is resolved.

The presiding judge dismissed both applications, ruling that they lacked merit.

In their substantive claim, the plaintiffs are asking the court to declare the 2026 embossment contract null and void. They argue that the DVLA’s earlier approval of 27 of their members to undertake embossment, combined with historical practices, created a binding and enforceable agreement that has never been formally withdrawn. The plaintiffs also claim that the authority owes their members outstanding payments for pre-financing previous embossment works.

Although the DVLA plans to introduce digitalised vehicle number plates in January 2026, the plaintiffs maintain that their members have not been engaged in the process. They contend that the embossment cycle should have begun in October 2025 with the allocation of blank plates, which did not occur despite public announcements.

According to the plaintiffs, on 27 October 2025, the DVLA Chief Executive informed them that the manufacturing and embossment contract had been awarded to Dr Nyarko Esumadu Appiah of Original Manufacturing and Embossment (Daasebre), a decision later confirmed by the Deputy Chief Executive.

They describe the decision as unfair and an abuse of administrative authority, arguing that for three decades, manufacturing and embossment contracts were awarded separately to prevent conflicts of interest. Awarding both contracts to a single individual while excluding 46 companies and sole proprietors, they claim, is discriminatory and unlawful.

The plaintiffs also allege breaches of the Public Procurement Act, 2003, stating that the contract was neither advertised nor approved for sole-sourcing by the Public Procurement Authority. While supporting the digitalisation of number plates, they propose a six-month suspension of the rollout to allow proper planning and stakeholder engagement.

They warn that without judicial intervention, over 3,000 workers employed by their members could face serious financial hardship.