Kingsley Ohens Reporting
Counsel to the delegates in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/165 of 2024 (HON. KELVIN MOHAMMED & 2 ORS VS INEC & 3 ORS), Adaze Enmwanta, has been penciled down to face the disciplinary committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and other judicial consequences, our correspondent gathered.
He’s been sanctioned by the Legal Practitioners’ Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) for granting a press conference and misrepresenting the judgment made by Hon. Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, thereby bringing the judge’s name to disrepute and deliberately misleading the public.
The sanction followed concerns raised by Akinlolu Kehinde, counsel for the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) National Secretary, where he called on the NBA to rein in Adaze Emwanta for deliberately misleading the public on the candidacy of Dr. Asue Ighodalo, the PDP candidate for the September 21 Edo governorship election.
A legal source who pleaded anonymity disclosed that Adaze Emwenta, a close ally of the impeached deputy governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, may face punishment ranging from suspension from the bar to complete disbarment, among others.
The source said, “I have it on good authority that Adaze Emwanta has been penciled for disciplinary actions by the NBA for misrepresenting facts from the judgment of the Federal High Court Justice, Hon. Justice Inyang Ekwo, regarding the Edo 2024 election and the candidacy of Dr. Asue Ighodalo, the PDP candidate for the forthcoming poll.
“His offences are serious breaches of legal ethics and our colleague, Enwanta may be suspended or face complete disbarment, depending on the outcome of the disciplinary proceedings. He is a lawyer and knows the consequences of his actions and the NBA is determined to ensuring that he is held accountable for his actions to prevent a reoccurrence of such unprofessional act in the future.”
“Emwanta’s sanctioning is by no means surprising coming at this time the current president of the NBA, Yakubu Maikyau, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) is putting a lot of work to sanitise the legal system and cleanse it of bad eggs. It’s obvious that errant law is going to be made a scapegoat to dissuade other legal practitioners from the dissent act which has continued to bring bad name to the profession,” another source close to the matter noted.
