The National Judicial Council (NJC), at its 111th Meeting held on Tuesday, May 13, 2026, under the Chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun, GCON, has dismissed a petition filed against Hon. Justice Charles N. Wali of the Rivers State High Court over allegations of misconduct linked to the protracted Rivers State House of Assembly crisis, and has recommended that the petitioner, Daniel Chibuzor Amadi, Esq., be referred to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) for disciplinary action over allegations the Council described as reckless and unsupported by evidence.
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The decision effectively turns the tables on the petitioner, who approached the NJC seeking sanctions against a sitting judge but now faces the prospect of professional discipline himself for the manner in which the petition was brought.
The Petition and Its Context
The petition filed by Daniel Chibuzor Amadi, Esq. accused Justice Wali of misconduct in connection with the Rivers State House of Assembly crisis — one of the most contentious and politically charged institutional disputes in Nigeria in recent years. The Rivers Assembly crisis has generated a cascade of litigation across multiple courts, with rival factions of the state legislature, the state government under Governor Siminalayi Fubara, and the political camp of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, all locked in overlapping legal battles over the legitimacy of the Assembly’s composition, leadership, and legislative actions.
Within this volatile political environment, several judges across various courts have been drawn into the controversy through the cases filed before them, and some have faced accusations — from one political camp or the other — of bias, misconduct, or improper handling of the politically sensitive matters.
It was against this backdrop that Amadi filed his petition against Justice Wali, alleging that the judge’s conduct in handling matters related to the Assembly crisis amounted to judicial misconduct warranting disciplinary action by the NJC.
NJC’s Findings
After conducting its investigation, the NJC found that the allegations contained in Amadi’s petition were entirely unsubstantiated. The Council determined that the petitioner failed to provide credible evidence to support any of the claims of misconduct levelled against Justice Wali.
The NJC did not find any merit in the petition and dismissed it accordingly.
However, the Council went further than merely dismissing the complaint. The NJC concluded that the petition itself was so lacking in substance and so recklessly made that it warranted a referral of the petitioner to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) for disciplinary action. The Council described the allegations as “reckless and unsupported by evidence” — language that signals the NJC’s view that the petition was not merely weak or insufficient, but was brought with a disregard for the standards of responsibility expected of a legal practitioner when making allegations against a judicial officer.
Why the Referral to LPDC Matters
The referral of a petitioner to the LPDC is one of the strongest responses available to the NJC when it determines that a petition against a judicial officer was brought in bad faith, was frivolous, or was calculated to harass or intimidate the judge concerned.
The LPDC, established under the Legal Practitioners Act, is the body empowered to hear and determine complaints of professional misconduct against legal practitioners in Nigeria. If the LPDC finds that Amadi’s petition against Justice Wali was indeed reckless and unsupported, he could face sanctions ranging from an admonition to suspension from legal practice, depending on the gravity of the Committee’s findings.
The referral sends a clear message that while the NJC welcomes legitimate complaints against judicial officers as part of the accountability framework for the judiciary, it will not tolerate the weaponisation of the petition process by lawyers who file unsubstantiated complaints aimed at intimidating, harassing, or putting pressure on judges, particularly in politically sensitive matters.
A Pattern of Referrals
The referral of Amadi to the LPDC was not an isolated action at the 111th Meeting. The NJC also referred four other lawyers to the LPDC for writing frivolous and unsubstantiated petitions calculated to harass and intimidate judicial officers. They are: Adeboye Williams Adewale, Esq.; Dr Peter N. Ekemezie, Esq.; Dr Martin Odika, Esq.; and Muhammad Hamza Ahmad-Gana, Esq.
Additionally, the Council resolved to refer one Mbadiwe Ossai to the Inspector-General of Police for investigation and prosecution for alleged perjury in connection with a petition submitted to the NJC.
In a related development, the Council barred one Yusuf Isa, described as a serial petitioner, from further presenting petitions to the Council.
These actions collectively indicate that the NJC, under the leadership of Chief Justice Kekere-Ekun, is taking an increasingly aggressive stance against the abuse of the petition process, particularly in the context of the politically charged Rivers State crisis and other high-profile disputes that have seen judges targeted with complaints by parties dissatisfied with judicial outcomes.
The Rivers Assembly Crisis and Judicial Officers
The Rivers State House of Assembly crisis has placed extraordinary pressure on the judiciary, with multiple courts at the state and federal levels being called upon to adjudicate disputes over the legitimacy of legislative sessions, the validity of laws passed by different factions of the Assembly, the recognition of the Speaker and other principal officers, and the broader political standoff between Governor Fubara and Minister Wike.
Judges who have handled these cases have found themselves in an unenviable position, with virtually every ruling generating accusations of bias from one side or the other. The filing of petitions against judges who preside over politically sensitive cases is increasingly being viewed within the legal community as a tactic designed to influence judicial behaviour — a form of judicial intimidation that the NJC’s referral of Amadi to the LPDC appears squarely aimed at discouraging.
The exoneration of Justice Wali and the simultaneous referral of his accuser to the LPDC serves as a vindication for the judge and a warning to lawyers and litigants who may consider using the NJC petition process as a tool of political warfare rather than a genuine mechanism for ensuring judicial accountability.
Implications for Lawyers
The NJC’s action serves as a reminder to legal practitioners that the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners 2007 impose ethical obligations on lawyers in their interactions with the judiciary. Lawyers are expected to exercise diligence and good faith when filing complaints against judges. The RPC requires lawyers to act with honesty, integrity, and a commitment to the administration of justice. Filing petitions that are reckless, unsupported, or calculated to intimidate judicial officers falls short of these professional obligations and can attract disciplinary consequences.
Lawyers who are considering filing petitions against judges over the handling of politically sensitive matters are now on notice that the NJC will not only dismiss baseless complaints but may also refer the petitioners to the LPDC for discipline — effectively making the petitioner the subject of proceedings rather than the judge.
[pdf-embedder url=”https://thenigerialawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/NJC-Press-Release-of-14-May-2026.pdf” title=”NJC Press Release of 14 May 2026″]
Neither Daniel Chibuzor Amadi, Esq. nor Justice Charles N. Wali has publicly commented on the NJC’s decision as at the time of this report.
The NJC’s press release was signed by Kemi Babalola-Ogedengbe, Esq., Deputy Director, Information, National Judicial Council.
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