A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a lawsuit filed by African Democratic Congress chieftain Nkemakolam Ukandu and ordered him to pay N100 million to two judges he sued.
Delivering ruling on Monday, Justice Salim Ibrahim struck out the suit for “lack of diligent prosecution” after Ukandu and his lawyer failed to appear in court. The judge directed Ukandu to pay N50 million each to Chief Judge John Tsoho and Justice Peter Lifu within 14 days.
The cost award followed an oral application by J.U.K. Igwe, counsel to Tsoho and Lifu.
“Based on the Provision of Order 19 (1) of the Rules of this honourable court 2019, the court hereby makes an order striking out this suit for lack of diligent prosecution,” Justice Ibrahim said. “It is further ordered that the plaintiff is to pay the sum of fifty million naira each to the 2nd and 3rd defendants within 14 days from the date of this order.”
Ukandu, the ADC national welfare secretary, had filed suit FHC/ABJ/CS/1165/2026 against the National Judicial Council, Tsoho and Lifu. He alleged bias, abuse of judicial powers and disobedience to a court order, and asked the NJC to investigate the two judges.
The case stems from the ongoing leadership crisis in the ADC. Ukandu was challenging Tsoho’s decision to reassign a suit filed by another ADC chieftain, Nafiu Bala, from Justice Emeka Nwite to Justice Lifu.
According to Ukandu, the transfer violated a Supreme Court order that returned the case to Nwite to decide pending applications on the court’s jurisdiction. He claimed Nwite had adjourned indefinitely after a dispute over an application to reassign the case, and alleged that Lifu went ahead to hear the matter despite subsisting orders.
Ukandu also sought an injunction to stop Lifu from hearing the ADC leadership dispute pending the NJC petition, and asked the court to compel Lifu to recuse himself.
At the last sitting on June 30, the judge had warned that the case would be struck out if Ukandu or his counsel failed to attend.
With Monday’s ruling, the court closed the matter and imposed the N100 million cost penalty.
