The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, has reported Kalu Kalu, a lawyer to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, LPDC.
The NBA took the action over what it called insulting words Kalu used against Justice Peter O. Lifu of the Federal High Court.
Kalu, who is a member of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, made the comment during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on November 11.
He was reacting to a Federal High Court judgment against the ADC which sparked debate about what it means for Atiku’s 2027 presidential ambition.
But while he was faulting the judgment, he attacked the judge, a move that forced the host of the programme to stop him. The host warned him against abusing a serving judge and asked him to withdraw the word.
Kalu later withdrew it.”Because of time, I do withdraw it,” he said, adding that people can still disagree with a judge by discussing the case itself.
He also claimed that the Court of Appeal had in the past made similar comments about the judge.
The NBA President, Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, has now condemned Kalu’s action.
In a statement on Friday, November 13, she said she watched the video of the programme and was troubled by what she heard.
She said lawyers must show respect and good behaviour to judges, even when they do not agree with a court decision.
According to her, lawyers are free to pick holes in a judgment, question the reasoning of a judge and point out mistakes. But she said such criticism must be done with legal arguments, not by insulting the judge who gave the judgment.
Badejo-Okusanya said judges must answer for how they use their powers, and the NBA will keep demanding accountability from the Bench. She warned, however, that abusing judges will not prove that a judgment is wrong and will not help any party that is unhappy with a court decision.
“Instead, they diminish the quality of public debate and bring our profession into disrepute,” she said.
She pointed to the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners, 2023, which she said compel lawyers to behave well and treat the courts with respect, dignity and honour.
She added that the rules also give clear ways through which complaints against judicial officers can be taken to the right authorities.
