The Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC) has suspended former Attorney General of Abia State, Uche Ihediwa, from using the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) pending the outcome of investigations against him.
A statement from the Secretary of the LPPC, Sarki Bello, said the committee, at its 163rd General Meeting held on July 1, 2024, extensively considered a petition written by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) against Mr. Ihediwa.
In December 2023, the President of the NBA, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Yakubu Maikyau, had written to the Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chairman of the LPPC, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, to complain that Mr. Ihediwa conducted himself in a manner incompatible with the dignity and honor of the rank of SAN.
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The NBA President specifically cited an incident at the 2023 International Bar Association Conference in Paris, where Mr. Ihediwa alleged during a showcase session that money exchanged hands in the process of appointing judges in Abia State when he served as the Attorney General.
At the session, Mr. Ihediwa claimed that while he was a member of the Judicial Service Commission, lawyers who were members of the Commission received bribes of up to ten million Naira to influence the appointments of Judicial Officers.
The NBA President said that by announcing these allegations against judicial officers at the session, instead of reporting them to the appropriate authorities for disciplinary action, Mr. Ihediwa acted unprofessionally and conducted himself in a manner that adversely affected the administration of justice, as listeners might cease to have respect for Nigerian judges and the judiciary.
The NBA President also noted that every lawyer must report any breach of the rules of professional conduct that comes to their knowledge to the appropriate authorities for necessary disciplinary action.
Subsequent attempts by the NBA to get information about the breach from Mr. Ihediwa, to enable the Association to make formal complaints to the relevant body for criminal investigation and possible prosecution, were not acknowledged.
The LPPC has since set up a committee to investigate the allegations.
