NBA To Sanction SAN, Six Lawyers For Influencing Judges To Give Conflicting Orders

According to the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), seven lawyers, including a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), encouraged judges to issue contradictory court rulings, particularly on political concerns.

According to the NBA’s President, Mr. Olumide Apata, the seven lawyers were found guilty by the association’s investigation committee.

Apata told reporters in Abuja that the indicted lawyers would face charges of judicial misconduct before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC).

He said: “Some lawyers have been identified to have played roles in conflicting decisions that emanated from different courts recently. They are seven in number, including a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.

“We are in the process of filing a petition against them before the LPDC. This is based on our determination to ensure that the system is protected, irrespective of those involved,” Apata added.

‘Officials initially offered to help but when the number of able-bodied citizens at the centre increased, they left us unattended to’
The LPDC is the body recognised by law to take disciplinary action against lawyers accused of professional misconduct, while the NBA which is the umbrella body of lawyers in the country serves as the prosecution in any trial before its panel.

It will be recalled that the National Judicial Council (NJC) had earlier barred three high court judges from getting promotion for periods ranging from two to five years after it found them guilty of issuing conflicting ex-parte orders.

The NJC headed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad said the three judges were investigated even though there was no written petition, allegations of corruption or impropriety against them.

With the NBA’s 2022 Justice Sector Summit scheduled for Tuesday, the association called for a review of the process for the appointment of judges, maintaining that the extant process for selection of those to be appointed as judicial officers, is flawed.

“The NBA believes that there is something not right about the way we appoint judges. The process is not rigorous or robust enough. We cannot expect such process to be beneficial to the Judiciary.

“We have sent our recommendation to the NJC regarding how we think that the process should be structured to become better and more efficient. The process needs to be standardized. While some states subject candidates to examinations, others don’t.

“We have passed the era when someone will sit down in the comfort of his chamber and decide who should be appointed as a judge. There must be a clearly defined process of selecting those that should be appointed as judges.

“This is why the issue of judicial appointment is one of the things that will be discussed at the summit,” Apata stated.

Officials initially offered to help but when the number of able-bodied citizens at the centre increased, they left us unattended to’