Conflicting Court Orders: Prof. Ojukwu, SAN Hails NBA President, Akpata, For Dragging Lawyers To LPDC Over Ethical Questions
The former Deputy Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, Enugu Campus, Professor Ernest Ojukwu, SAN has commended the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Olumide Akpata, for dragging a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and six other lawyers to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee over ethical issues.
The lawyers were dragged to the LPDC Over the roles they played in a series of conflicting ex-parte court orders issued by some judges in political cases last year, 2021
Impressed by the steps taken by the NBA, Ojukwu described the Association as “NBA REGENERATION beginning.”
He added, “With what NBA is doing now- especially moving against its members who have ethical questions to answer we are on the road to heal the sick, almost dead NBA.”
He therefore commended Akpata on the basis that Akpata and his team are working.
“Kudos President Akpata and your team that is working.” Ojukwu said.
Those dragged to the LPDC by the NBA are Mba Ukweni SAN and Henry Adedayo Bello. Others are Abubakar Abdullahi, Chibuzor C. Ezike, Christagonus Okechi Nkoku, Ezea Ferdinand, M. Iyke-Iweajunwa (Mrs) and Chief Jude Okeke
TheNigeriaLawyer recalls that some months ago, a number of conflicting orders relating to political matters, were obtained from several courts of coordinate jurisdiction.
It would be recalled that in one week, three courts in different states also issued counter-orders with respect to the office of the national chairman of the PDP.
On August 24, the Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt restrained Uche Secondus from parading himself as PDP national chairman.
However, in another twist, the Kebbi State High Court in Birnin-Kebbi restored Mr Secondus’ mandate as the national chairman of the opposition PDP on August 27.
A day after Mr Secondus’ reinstatement, another the High Court in Calabar, Cross River State, issued an interim order restraining him from resuming office as PDP chairman.
The NBA expressed concerns over the issue.
“The recurring contradictory decisions by our courts, based on apparently indiscriminate grant of orders and counter-orders, in a way, evokes memories of those eerie and unwanted dark days,” Mr Akpata had lamented last August.
He added: “These developments in our courts are antithetical to the actualisation of the just society and independent judiciary that we all aspire to.”
