The National Working Committee of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, has written a petition to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, LPDC, against some senior legal practitioners, alleging conducts and actions unbecoming of high ranking lawyers.
The petition was filed against Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, P. I. N. Ikwueto, SAN, and Victor Agunzi, Esq.
The APGA NWC wants the mentioned legal practitioners investigated and necessary actions taken against them by the LPDC.
APGA NWC, in the petition signed by Muhyideen Imam, its National Secretary, highlighted that Ikpeazu and Ikwueto, and their partner, Agunzi representing Chief Victor Ike Oye, have flippantly disobeyed court orders, including rulings by the apex court.
DAILY POST reports that the political party has been rocked by legal battles ever since Chief Edozie Njoku’s emergence as the party’s National Chairman was challenged by the Jigawa State High Court (Suit No: JDU/022/2021) in 2021.
APGA NWC, in its petition, alleged that the senior lawyers have kept on misleading their client who in turn has been flouting different court orders as he seeks to unseat the authentic leadership of the party.
It alleged that instead of protecting the court and upholding the rule of law, the senior lawyers are rather engaging in acts that smeared and ridiculed the integrity and standing of the Court.
They are also accused of employing all manner of ways to frustrate the court from making steady progress in dispensing with the matter speedily.
The petitioners recalled that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had recently complied with the judgment of the court, which ordered as follows:
“The act(s) of the Respondents refusing to obey and comply with the subsisting judgments of the Supreme Court made on the 14th October, 2021 and corrected on the 24th March, 2023 and duly served on them amounts to disobedience of the Judgments and Orders of the Supreme Court.
“a. The actions of the 1st Respondent posing and parading himself and occupying the Party’s Secretariat as the National Chairman of APGA contrary to the judgment and order of the Supreme Court made on the 14th October, 2021 and corrected on the 24th March, 2023 is in disobedience of the Judgments of the Supreme Court.
“b. An Order of injunction is hereby granted restraining the 2nd Respondent, whether by itself, agents, privies, assigns, authorized representatives or whosoever described from accepting, recognizing and dealing with the 1st Respondent.
“c. The Respondents must comply with the decision of the Supreme Court made on the 14th October, 2021 and subsequently corrected on the 24th March, 2023, which was exhibited as Exhibit 1 and Exhibit 4(A & B) in the supporting affidavit of the Originating Summons which has also been served on them.
“d. It is hereby declared that all the actions taken or to be taken by the 1st respondent (as the Chairman of APGA) and the 2nd Respondent as regards to congresses, conventions, primaries, meetings or flags off campaign of any kind whatsoever in disregard and disobedience to the judgment of the Supreme Court, attached as Exhibit 1 and Exhibit 4(A & B) in the affidavit in support of the Originating Summons made on the 14th of October, 2021 and subsequently corrected on the 24th March, 2023 are unlawful, illegal, null, void and of no effect whatsoever.”
The petitioners noted that in their desperations to undo everything in favour of their client, even with their pending appeals to the Supreme Court challenging the decisions of the Court of Appeal, the same senior counsel have inspired and taken up fresh suits at the Federal High Courts Abuja and Anambra State, in disguise to re-litigating matters bothering on the internal affairs of a political party, already resolved by the Courts, even to the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal.
“Their actions only suggest the counsel are forum shopping and attempting to subtly coercing the High Courts to seat on appeals, over the decisions of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal. These clearly are the highest level of abuse of the Court process and a clear attempt capable of scandalizing and ridiculing the court system, which these desperate senior counsels must not be allowed to do,” the petition read in part.
DAILY POST reports that the fresh suits inspired and filed by the senior counsel for and on behalf of their client, are:
a. Suit No. FHC/AWK/CS/263/2023: SIR OJUKWU OBAKASI V. INEC & ORS, pending at the Federal High Court, Awka, Anambra State; and
b. Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/966/2024: APGA & ANOR V. INEC & ANOR, pending at the Federal High Court, Abuja, FCT.
APGA added, “It is said, that litigation must have an end and it is the duty of counsel as ministers in the temple of justice, to advice and counsel their clients in line with the law and in upholding the ethical professional code, guiding legal practitioners in their practice of law.
“In this case, the conducts and actions of these senior counsel are not only inimical to their oath as Legal Practitioners, but also against the rule of law, especially as Senior Advocates of Nigeria, who owe the profession a duty to uphold its integrity as the pacesetters and the light of the society.
“Out complaint as stated above is borne out of the respect we have for the legal profession and the ideals it holds, which in our respectful opinion are lacking in the way and manner these senior counsel conducted themselves in the matters stated above.
“We, therefore, employ you to use your good office and consider our complaint and take necessary actions that will deter desperate practitioners of your noble profession from portraying you in bad light before the right-thinking members of the society.”