Suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti has petitioned the Legal Practitioners’ Disciplinary Committee to investigate Edo lawmaker Neda Imasuen for disobeying a court ruling and concealing his criminal records and New York disbarment from Nigeria’s electoral body, INEC.
Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s petition received by the legal disciplinary committee on Monday said Mr Imasuen, chair of the Senate ethics committee, had a case to answer regarding a report by Peoples Gazette that exposed how the New York Supreme Court revoked his law licence in May 2010 after he absconded with the legal fees of his client, Daphne Slyfield, without representing her.
The Kogi senator accused Mr Imasuen of deliberately withholding this information on his INEC EC-9 form, depriving his constituents and other Nigerians of crucial details of his life and past run-ins with the U.S. government.
Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan said Mr Imasuen, “despite his disbarment which was hinged on unethical conduct,” launched his political career in Nigeria and got appointed to chair the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, “a position requiring unimpeachable integrity.”
“That the respondent did not remotely disclose his disbarment either in his Form EC-9 — Particulars of Personal Information submitted to INEC on oath at the time of aspiring for public office,” she added.
Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan further drew the attention of the legal disciplinary committee to Mr Imasuen’s alleged disregard for a court ruling that shielded her from being investigated and sanctioned by the Senate pending the determination of a suit where she was accused of misconduct for speaking from an unassigned seat.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court issued an ex-parte ruling on March 5 restraining the Senate ethics committee from penalising Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan.
However, Mr Imasuen, according to the Kogi senator, acknowledged Mr Egwuatu’s ex parte ruling but failed to honour it on the grounds that the legislative arm could not take orders from another arm of government.
“They presented to me a motion and a rule order from the court attempting to stop this committee from doing its work. This is unacceptable,” Mr Imasuen said. “We should actually let the world know that there is what they call separation of powers in our constitution.”
Consequently, he recommended Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s six-month suspension to the Senate on March 6.
The embattled legislator argued that Mr Imasuen’s actions violated Section 31 of the Rules of Professional Conduct for lawyers, which states that “a lawyer shall always treat the court with respect, dignity and honour.”
