The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has granted the reliefs sought by Chief J-K Gadzama, SAN, against the three-year suspension imposed on him by the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, declaring the enforcement of the disciplinary Direction against him unconstitutional.
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In a judgment delivered on Monday, the court declared the Direction of the committee delivered on 29 July 2026 in Complaint No. BB/LPDC/1314/2024, Chris Alashi, Esq. v Ocha P. Ulegede, Esq. & Anor, unconstitutional insofar as it affects the senior advocate.
The court declared that the implementation or enforcement of the Direction against him, in the absence of an effective appellate mechanism, is inconsistent with sections 36(1), 36(2) and 6(6)(b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and is therefore unconstitutional and unlawful.
It further held that the committee lacked jurisdiction in the matter, rendering its eventual decision against him unenforceable.
The judgment restrains the respondents from implementing, publishing, transmitting, enforcing or otherwise giving effect to the Direction as it affects him.
The court equally restrained the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court from making, or causing to be made, any disciplinary notation against him pursuant to the Direction, and restrained the publication or dissemination of the Direction as a final disciplinary determination against him.
The reliefs granted are, however, expressed to be subject to the establishment of an effective appellate platform through which decisions of the relevant disciplinary authorities may be challenged.
The respondents in the proceedings were the Body of Benchers, the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court and Mr. Chris Alashi, Esq.
The judgment concludes proceedings commenced on an ex parte application in August.
On Thursday, 20 August 2026, Honourable Justice Obiora-Atuegwu Egwuatu, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1954/2026, granted the senior advocate leave to apply for judicial review and to seek an order of certiorari quashing the Direction.
The enrolled order recorded that the motion ex parte was dated 18 August and filed on 19 August 2026, and came before the court on 20 August. The defendants named at that stage were the Body of Benchers, the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court, Mr. Chris Alashi, Esq., and Mr. Ocha P. Ulegede, Esq.
The court read a verifying affidavit of forty-five paragraphs deposed to by the applicant, described as a Nigerian, male, adult legal practitioner and Founding Principal Partner of J-K Gadzama LLP, Abuja, and heard Mr. M. E. Oru, SAN, who argued the application and urged the court to grant the reliefs sought.
Leave was granted in terms of the accompanying Statement pursuant to Order 34 of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, with the substantive application to be filed within seven days from 20 August, and the matter adjourned to 4 September 2026 for hearing, subject to service of the motion on the respondents. The order was signed by the Registrar, Mr. Micheal Akpiri.
The disciplinary proceedings arose from the administration and distribution of compensation arising from the Zaki-Biam litigation, and involved competing claims concerning legal representation and professional fees.
The senior advocate maintained throughout that he had never had a professional relationship with the complainant before the committee, and had never received instructions from him, his case being that he had instead been separately instructed by some of the judgment creditors.
The proceedings ultimately resulted in the committee directing that he be suspended from practice for three years, while Chief Ocha P. Ulegede was separately suspended for two years.
His challenge was that the proceedings had fundamentally misconstrued the nature of the underlying dispute, and had subjected him to professional discipline over circumstances arising principally from questions of representation, retainership and professional fees.
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