A senior legal practitioner, Mr. Beluolisa Nwofor has sued the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC) at a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), over withdrawal of his Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) rank.
The lawyer, who is accusing the Committee of delaying hearing of the case, is seeking an order of court directing the restoration of his rank.
No date has been fixed for hearing of the suit.
The LLPPC had on June 23 this year, stripped Nwofor of his SAN rank for allegedly conducting himself in a manner unbecoming of the holder of the esteemed rank.
A statement withdrawing his rank was signed by former Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court and Secretary of the LPPC who is now Secretary of the National Judicial Council, Mr. Ahmed Gamo Saleh.
Saleh said the decision to withdraw the rank from Nwofor was taken at the committee’s 126th general meeting held on yesterday, the 22nd June, 2017 acting on a petition filed against the senior lawyer by the Court of Appeal.
It said that it took the decision after considering “extensively the complaint filed by the Court of Appeal against Nwofor, with his response to same and all material facts.”
The complaint against Nwofor may not be unconnected with the cases involving the then factions of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
The matter was about who should be Ondo PDP governorship candidate for last year election.
It involved Eyitayo Jegede of the then Ahmed Makarfi’s faction and Jimoh Ibrahim of the then Ali Modu Sheriff faction.
Nwofor was one of the lawyers who represented parties loyal to Sheriff – Biyi Poroye and others.
Nwofor had protested the decision of the court to hear the appeal filed by Jegede after brushing aside delay tactics being employed by the Sheriff’s group to stall the trial.
The lawyer reportedly told the justices that it would amount to judicial rascality if they went ahead with the hearing, a statement that rattled the justices.
There were free exchanges of abusive languages between Nwofor and the justices.
A member of the panel hearing the appeal described Nwofor as audacious counsel that had no respect for the bar and the bench.
Nwofor fired back and asked the panel whether the justices required a timid lawyer who could not stand and defend the law.
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