Fresh Shake-Up Looms As LPDC Sets Date To Hear Case Against SAN, Two Lawyers

The Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) has scheduled September 30 to deliver its ruling on a petition alleging professional misconduct against Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Ikechukwu Ezechukwu and two other lawyers, Smart Ukpanah and Hope Onyekwere.

The petition accuses the three legal practitioners of acts including criminal misrepresentation, forgery, perjury and other conduct allegedly inconsistent with the ethical standards of the legal profession.

The disciplinary panel, chaired by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Kalu Umeh, reserved its decision after hearing arguments from counsel representing the respondents.

At the latest sitting, the respondents’ lawyer, D.O. Okolo, urged the committee to strike out the petition, informing the panel that the petitioner, Kingsley Aneubuna, had indicated his intention to withdraw the matter.

According to Okolo, Aneubuna had written to the committee expressing his desire to discontinue the proceedings.

“The petitioner forwarded a letter notifying the committee of the intention to withdraw the petition.

“The petitioner is very much aware of the proceedings but is not before the panel,” he said.

The respondents had previously argued that the petitioner was fully aware of the proceedings but repeatedly failed to appear before the committee.

However, Umeh rejected the request to dismiss the case, explaining that under the LPDC’s rules, a petition cannot be withdrawn once issues have been joined.

“Since issues have been joined, we are obligated by the rules of this committee to adopt the processes filed by the petitioner,” he said.

Following the submissions, the committee adjourned the matter until September 30 for its ruling.

The petition stems from a dispute over Plot No. 713, Cadastral Zone B14, Dutse District, Abuja, which is also the subject of a pending suit before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.

According to the petition, Ezechukwu represented Uche Okoli, Multi Shelters Limited and Dr. Ngozika Nwaneri, who all laid claim to ownership of the property.

Aneubuna alleged that in 2018 he agreed to purchase a terrace duplex on the property from Okoli and Multi Shelters Limited for ₦51 million.

He claimed that before completing the transaction, he and his lawyer sought assurances from Ezechukwu regarding the property’s legal status and were informed that the title was valid and free of encumbrances.

Relying on those assurances, Aneubuna said he paid the purchase price and executed the necessary agreement, with the understanding that the development would be completed within two years.

According to the petition, construction progressed slowly, but the developers repeatedly assured him that the property would be delivered as agreed.

The petitioner alleged that he later discovered in 2021 that litigation concerning the property had already commenced in 2018 and that a court had issued an injunction over the development.

He further claimed that his name was included as a co-claimant in the suit without his consent.

Ukpanah was accused of filing court processes and representing Aneubuna and other subscribers without their authorisation, while Onyekwere was alleged to have testified on behalf of the petitioner and others without their knowledge.

The petition also accused Ezechukwu of tendering an allegedly forged copy of the purchase agreement. Aneubuna claimed the disputed document bore a forged signature and was backdated to 2012 instead of 2018, when the original agreement was signed.

He further alleged that the SAN prepared both versions of the agreement despite being aware that the property was already the subject of ongoing litigation.

According to Aneubuna, he completed the purchase based on alleged misrepresentations made by the respondents and their clients. He later instructed another lawyer to remove his name from the court proceedings before filing Petition No. BB/LPDC/760/2022.

The case comes shortly after the LPDC suspended Senior Advocate of Nigeria Joe-Kyari Gadzama from legal practice for three years over findings arising from the Zaki Biam litigation. The committee also imposed a two-year suspension on another lawyer, Ocha Ulegede, in connection with the same matter.