The former Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Elder Simon Achuba, has formally petitioned the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC), seeking an investigation into the conduct of Joseph Bodunrin Daudu (J.B. Daudu), SAN, and his law firm.
In the separate petitions made available to journalists in Abuja, Achuba is praying for a disciplinary panel to probe the Senior Advocate for alleged “unprofessional conduct and abuse of judicial powers.” He specifically urged the LPDC to consider “striking out the Respondent’s name from the roll of lawyers” or restraining him from practice for a specific period.
The grievance stems from a protracted legal battle (Suit No: NICN/ABJ/244/2019) over unpaid salaries and allowances. Both the National Industrial Court and the Court of Appeal had ruled in Achuba’s favor, awarding him N1,070,860,138.00 as judgment debt against the Kogi State Government.
Achuba alleges that despite the Court of Appeal being the final arbiter in labor-related matters—as stipulated in Section 243(4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended)—J.B. Daudu’s firm filed a “frivolous and malicious” appeal at the Supreme Court solely to frustrate the enforcement of the judgment.
“I wrote this petition personally as the victim of what I believe to be a malicious appeal filed by the law firm… contrary to the provisions of the Constitution that prohibited it,” Achuba stated.
The petitioner highlighted that the Court of Appeal had previously dismissed a stay of execution filed by the firm, imposing a N3 million fine on J.B. Daudu & Co. In a stern rebuke quoted in the petition, the appellate court cautioned the Senior Counsel, noting:
“The learned Senior Counsel… owes this duty not only to his client… but also to the courts and the society… to ensure that the weak in our society takes no wrong nor the mighty escapes just judgment.”*
The Court further noted that “no rigmarole” or “manipulated legal argument” could circumvent the finality of the Court of Appeal’s decision on labor matters.
Achuba further alleged in his petition that the law firm engaged in “desperation to deceive” the National Industrial Court. He cited an instance where a litigation clerk from the firm allegedly filed an affidavit claiming the Supreme Court had slated the matter for hearing on November 3, 2025, when the apex court had not fixed such a date.
The former Deputy Governor also raised concerns over a suspected “foul play” regarding the issuance of hearing notices at the Supreme Court. He questioned how a labor-related matter, which should not be at the apex court, appeared to take precedence over his pending 2024 constitutional matter regarding his impeachment.
“How come a case that should not ordinarily be taken by the registrar takes precedence over constitutional matters like impeachment?” Achuba lamented, calling for an investigation into the litigation department’s handling of the dates.
Achuba maintains that the continuous pursuit of the appeal by the SAN’s firm, despite judicial warnings and the constitutional bar, constitutes a breach of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners (2007).
He is now calling on the CJN and the LPDC to uphold the sanctity of the judiciary by investigating these claims and applying the necessary sanctions to deter “attitudes of parties which lead to absurdity in our judicial system.”
As of the time of this report, the law firm of J.B. Daudu, SAN, has yet to issue a formal response to the petitions.
