LPDC fixes September 30 for ruling in misconduct petition against SAN

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

The two other lawyers are Smart Ukpanah and Hope Onyekwere.

The petition alleges professional misconduct, criminal misrepresentation, forgery and perjury against the three lawyers.

At the committee’s last sitting, counsel to the respondents, D.O. Okolo, urged the LPDC to dismiss the petition on the grounds that the petitioner, Kingsley Aneubuna, had decided to withdraw the matter.

Okolo told the committee that the petitioner had written to notify it of his intention to discontinue the petition and had failed to appear despite being 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.

However, the committee, chaired by Kalu Umeh, SAN, declined the request to dismiss the petition, holding that its rules do not permit the withdrawal of a petition after 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,” Umeh said.

After hearing the respondents’ submissions, the committee reserved its ruling until September 30.

The petition arose from a dispute over the 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 & Others v. EFCC & Others.

According to the petition, Aneubuna agreed in 2018 to purchase a terrace duplex on the disputed property from Uche Okoli and Multi Shelters Limited, who were represented by the SAN, for ₦51 million.

The petitioner alleged that before completing the transaction, he and his lawyer sought assurances from Ezechukwu regarding the status of the property and were informed that the title was valid and free from encumbrances. Relying on those assurances, he said he proceeded with the purchase.

The petition further alleged that the petitioner later discovered that litigation over the property had commenced in 2018 and that an injunction had been granted by the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.

It also alleged that the petitioner was joined as a co-claimant in the suit without his consent by one of the respondents, Smart Ukpanah, while another respondent, Hope Onyekwere, allegedly testified on his behalf without his knowledge or authority.

In addition, the petition accused the SAN of tendering a forged version of the sale agreement in court and knowingly proceeding with the property transaction despite the pending litigation. It further alleged that the petitioner was induced to purchase the property through fraudulent misrepresentation.

Following the dispute, the petitioner instructed a lawyer to apply for his name to be struck out of the pending court action before filing Petition No. BB/LPDC/760/2022 before the LPDC.

The petitioner is asking the committee to investigate the respondents for alleged breaches of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners.

The allegations remain before the LPDC, which is expected to deliver its ruling on September 30.

The Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) is the statutory body responsible for investigating and determining allegations of professional misconduct against legal practitioners in Nigeria.

Depending on its findings, the Committee may dismiss a petition, admonish a lawyer, suspend the practitioner from legal practice or, in the most serious cases, direct that the lawyer’s name be struck off the Roll of Legal Practitioners, subject to the provisions of the Legal Practitioners Act.

In recent months, the Committee has handled several high-profile disciplinary matters.

In July 2026, it suspended Senior Advocate of Nigeria Joe-Kyari Gadzama from legal practice for three years and lawyer Ocha Ulegede for two years over findings of professional misconduct arising from the long-running dispute over the Federal Government’s compensation for victims of the 2001 Zaki Biam military operation.

Both lawyers have challenged the LPDC’s decision.

The Committee has also continued to hear petitions involving allegations ranging from professional misconduct and conflicts of interest to forgery, misrepresentation and breaches of the Rules of Professional Conduct, underscoring its central role in maintaining ethical standards within Nigeria’s legal profession.