Lawyers in war of words as Federal High Court, Sokoto fines ADC Counsel
From Bashir Rabe Mani in Sokoto
Senior Counsels on Monday engaged in a war of words as the Federal High Court, sitting in Sokoto fined the Counsel for the 1st defendant N500,000 just as Iit adjourned the raging leadership tussle of the state chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), to July 22nd 2026 for hearing.
Our Correspondent in Sokoto reports that this came to the fore as the Presiding Judge, Justice Ahmad Mahmud Gama, ruled in an application filed before the Court by the Lead Counsel for the 1st defendant, Dr Sulaiman Usman, SAN.
Barrister Salmanu Jabo who stood in for Usman, had earlier filed an application for the adjournment of the matter sequel to the absence of his Principal, whom he said was unavoidably absent attending to some critical issues relating to the suit.
Jabo had however told the Court he had the express authority to stand in for his principal only and not has no authority if the case proceeded as demanded by the Lead Counsel to the Plaintiff, Barrister Mathew Burkaa, SAN.
Jabo said that he was incompetent to proceed with the hearing on Monday as he has filed three pending processes before the Court that were not served on all the parties, insisting that doing so is a fundamental right of all the parties.
According to Jabo, consequently,. continuing with the proceedings will be prejudicial while the principle of fair hearing would be trampled upon.
The Lead Counsel for the 2nd and 3rd defendants, Prof. Ibrahim Abdullahi, SAN, who didn’t object to the application for an adjournment by the Counsel for the 1st defendant, urged the Court to grant it in the contest of justice and fair play.
Ibrahim, who drew the attention of the Court to Order 26, Rule 4 of the Federal High Court regulations said that a person who was served with proceedings has seven days within which to respond.
Burkaa, who said that he was ready for the day’s proceedings, had maintained that the application for the adjournment of the matter was incompetent.
Bukaa had also averred the serial requests for adjournments by the Counsels to the defendants was an unnecessary delay tactic.
The Learned Silk, therefore, urged the Judge to strike out the application for adjournment for the proceedings to be sustained.
However, after heated legal arguments, Justice Gama granted the application and adjourned the matter to July 22, 2026.
Justice Gama added,” it is correct that all parties must be served so that they can appropriately respond.
“Failure to do that is a violation of the principle of fair play.”
He then adjourned the matter to July 22, 2026, but imposed a fine of N500,000 on the Lead Counsel for the 1st defendant which should be paid to the Court
Justice Gama also directed the Counsel for the 1st defendant to pay the air transportation costs of the Lead Counsel for the Plaintiff upon the production of all the receipts of air fares and other related sundry costs
Expatiating further, Barrister Jabo said, “So, we made an application for an adjournment sequal to the fact that we have filed some processes
and then other parties in the suit, particularly 4th and 5th defendants, were not served with the processes.
“So, we made an application for adjournment in the interest of justice to that regard.
“And then my Lord made a ruling that the application is granted and he went ahead to impose a N500,000 fine.
to us and then we should also settle all the flight bills of the Counsel for the Plaintiff.
“The fine is to be paid to the Court and the other costs when the Lead Counsel for the Plaintiff supplies the receipts or evidence of payments of air fares from Lagos to Sokoto.”
