The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) yesterday said it will take seven lawyers, including a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) for trial on their roles in the issuance of conflicting orders.
The orders were in cases involving former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Uche Secondus.
NBA President Olumide Akpata said the committee set up by the association to identify the lawyers submitted its report last month.
He said: “They are about seven in number. We are going to file a petition at the LPDC, and this will happen within the next two weeks.
“You will get their names when we file the petition. They are seven lawyers from across the country. There is a Senior Advocate among them.”
Akpata spoke in Abuja during a briefing on plans for the 2022 Justice Sector Summit scheduled for Abuja today by the NBA in collaboration with other organisations.
He said the summit is intended for stakeholders in the nation’s justice sector to examine the many challenges affecting the Judiciary and come up with workable solutions.
“The Justice Sector Summit 2022, which is themed: ‘Devising practical solutions towards improved performance, enhanced accountability,’ is organised by the NBA and the Justice Research Institute (JRI) in collaboration with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and the Justice Reform Project (JRP).
“We are expecting Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), Senate President Ahmad Lawan and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Hemi Gbajabiamila; My Lord the Chief Justice of Nigeria and other Justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
“The Chief Judges of the some of the High Courts and other Judges; the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN); Senior Advocates of Nigeria and senior members of the Bar; as well as other special guests.
“Put differently, anyone who is genuinely interested in the improvement of the justice delivery system in Nigeria and who is desirous of the establishment and maintenance of an effective, fair, humane, accessible, and accountable justice sector in Nigeria is expected to be in attendance (January 25),” Akpata said.
Chairman, Summit Planning Committee, Dr. Babatunde Ajibade (SAN), said the summit would focus on three specific areas – the existing appointment process in the Judiciary, the problem of funding, and the challenge of delay in the judicial process.
“For the first time, the different arms of the legal profession are coming together to work on ways to address the problems of the justice sector,” Ajibade said.
