The Nigeria Labour Party (LP) has reported a lawyer, Monday Mahwah, to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee.
The letter of the complaint which was addressed to the chairman, Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, Abuja, alleged that Mahwah is engaged in unprofessional conduct against their party in violation of part IV and V of the rules of professional conduct 2023.
The petition which was obtained by journalists and signed by the Labour Party’s national publicity secretary, Obiora Ifoh on behalf of the party, alleged that Mawah is damaging the party’s image through spreading falsehood using various mass media forums.
“We are in a democracy and stringent opposition to our party’s candidates’ emergence is expected. We have not been left disappointed even if we have been a little surprised by the nature and provenance of these attacks.
“We are however surprised and taken aback that a member of the revered legal profession has thrown caution to the winds and has embarked on a voyage spreading false news to bring both the bar and the bench to opprobrium,” the petition said.
Labour party said: “On 24th August 2023, while the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja was delivering its judgments in Appeal Numbers CA/OW/CS/200/2023 and CA/OW/CS/201/2023, to wit: Sir Basil Maduka v Labour Party & 2 Ors and Labour Party v Sir Basil Maduka & 2 Ors, respectively, one Mr. Monday Mawah, a legal Practitioner, of Templum Solicitors of 84 Obafemi Awolowo Avenue, Abeokuta, Ogun State with Abuja address as Suite 87, 3rd Floor, Trinity House, Mabushi, Abuja, who is not a counsel in the matter and was not in court when the judgments were delivered, went on air on Channels Television and falsely, maliciously and with intent to deceive, confirmed to the whole world that the decision of the Court of Appeal in the 2 appeals was that the purported Lamidi Apapa- led faction of the Labour Party was declared as the authentic leadership of the Labour Party and that the Court had ordered that the names of candidates that emerged as winners in the purported primary election conducted by the Lamidi Apapa-faction be forwarded to INEC to be imputed as the Candidates of the Labour Party for the 2023 Gubernatorial elections fixed for later in the year.”
The Labour Party is praying for the legal committee to,”immediately commence the process of disciplining Mr Monday Mawah for infamous conduct infringing on the provisions of the Rules of Professional Conduct, to wit; Part V( Relations with Court) and Part IV (Improper attraction of business), especially Rules 31( Duty of lawyer to court and conduct in court); 32 (candid and fair dealing), 33 (trial publicity), 39 (Advertising and soliciting) and 47 (Instigating controversy and litigation).
