LPDC Sets September 30 To Decide Petition Against SAN, 2 Lawyers

The Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) has fixed September 30, 2026, to deliver judgment in a petition alleging professional misconduct against Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Ikechukwu Ezechukwu and two other legal practitioners, Smart Ukpanah and Hope Onyekwere.

The respondents are facing allegations of professional misconduct, criminal misrepresentation, forgery and perjury arising from their handling of a disputed property transaction in Abuja.

At the hearing, counsel to the respondents, D.O. Okolo, urged the committee to dismiss the petition, arguing that the petitioner, Kingsley Aneubuna, had indicated an intention to withdraw the case and failed to appear before the panel.

Okolo told the committee that the petitioner had written a letter notifying it of the decision to withdraw the petition and was fully aware of 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 committee, however, rejected the application.

Chairman of the panel, Kalu Umeh, SAN, ruled that petitions before the LPDC cannot be withdrawn once issues have been joined by the parties.

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

Following submissions by counsel, the committee reserved judgment until September 30.

The petition stems from a long-running dispute over ownership of Plot No. 713, Cadastral Zone B14, Dutse District, Abuja, which is the subject of Suit No. FCT/HC/CV/1182/2018 between Uche Okoli and others against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and others.

According to the petition, the complainant was offered a terrace duplex on the disputed property in 2018 by Uche Okoli and Multi Shelters Limited, clients of the SAN, for N51 million.

Before making payment, the petitioner said inquiries were made through legal counsel, and the SAN allegedly assured that the property had a valid and unencumbered title. Relying on those assurances, the petitioner proceeded with the purchase and executed the necessary agreement.

The petition alleged that construction later slowed significantly, but repeated assurances were given that the property would be completed within the agreed timeframe.

In 2021, however, the petitioner claimed to have discovered that the property was already the subject of pending litigation filed in 2018 by the SAN, in which an injunction had been granted by the FCT High Court.

The petitioner further alleged that Smart Ukpanah joined the complainant as a co-claimant in the suit without consent or authority and filed court processes on the complainant’s behalf, while Hope Onyekwere allegedly testified in court as though representing the complainant and other subscribers without their authorization.

The petition also accused the SAN of presenting a forged version of the property agreement in court, alleging that the document bore a forged signature and had been backdated to 2012 instead of 2018, when the genuine agreement was executed.

According to the petitioner, both the disputed and original agreements were prepared by the SAN, who allegedly knew that litigation over the property was already pending when the property was sold.

The petitioner subsequently instructed another lawyer to have the complainant’s name removed from the court action before filing Petition No. BB/LPDC/760/2022 before the LPDC, asking the disciplinary body to investigate the three lawyers over the alleged misconduct.