An Abuja based lawyer, Joni Icheka has dragged President Goodluck Jonathan to court, demanding for N70 million legal services.
He averred that it was his legal services that led to the mass resignation of the immediate-past National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In a suit marked, CV/845/14, and filed by Barr. Faustinus Andi, at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on December 4, 2014, the lawyer claimed that Jonathan along with Aliyu Habu Fari, former Chief of Staff to Bamanga Tukur; Hon Abba Kale, former chairman of PDP in Wukari Local Government Area, Taraba State; Hon. Aruwa Sule, his counterpart in Maiduguri LGA; Barr. Bashir Maidugu, listed as Fari’s Special Adviser and current deputy national legal adviser of PDP and the party itself gave him the brief which led to the disbanding of then PDP-NWC but have since refused to pay his professional fees.
It was further learnt that already, a motion ex-parte with no M/3039/15 has been filed by Barr. Fuastinus Andi, under Order 11, Rules 5 (b) and (d) of the FCT High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2004 seeking for an order for substituted service on the defendants.
In a 36-paragraph statement of claims to which was attached a 40-paragraph affidavit in support of the application to be heard on the undefended list, Icheka alleged that Jonathan and other defendants had used and dumped him and his professional colleagues, inspite of reminders of their indebtedness.
According to him, sometime in 2013, Habu Fari invited him to his (Fari’s) office and informed him that he had Jonathan’s instruction to get 17 members of the PDP-NWC disbanded since they came on board without following the laid down PDP constitution, to which he (Icheka) raised a legal team, formulated the legal processes and filed same and that it was the filed processes that eventually led to the 17 losing their offices.
“The 2nd defendant (Fari) sometime ago met me in my office and asked me whether there was any way the national officers of the PDP, especially those listed as the 2nd to the 17th defendants in suite No. FCT/HC/CV/24/8/13 could be removed since they came to office through procedures that were not sanctioned by the constitution of the 6th defendant (PDP).
“That the 2nd defendant (Fari) also told me and I verily believed him that the former Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Mike Aondoakaa, was of the opinion that they do not have locus standi to institute legal action let alone a cause of action, and that it is to Mr. Aondoakaa that 1st defendant (Jonathan) entrusted the legal aspect of the operation”.
The lawyer further claimed that he had several meetings with Aondoakaa and other defendants where they agreed on both the locus standi and cause of action to challenge each member of then PDP-NWC, he was given the legal brief, following which he (Icheka) raised a legal team that filed the processes FCT/HC/CV/24/8/13 that saw to the end of that NWC.
“However, on the 7th of May, 2013, midway through proceedings, the defendants through the 5th defendant (Maidugu, the current deputy national legal adviser), wrote a letter to me purporting to debrief me in suit No FCT/HC/CV/24/8/13.
“Also, on 14th May, 2013, J.S. Okutepa SAN who was retained by the defendants to continue the case, addressed a letter to me stating that Fari and others have debriefed me in the said suit (FCT/HC/CV/24/8/13) and duly asked me to come forward and settle any financial debt with regards to professional fees,” Icheka stated.
He however claimed that several efforts he made to get paid fell on deaf ears up till now, hence the resort to the current suit, asking the court to compel them to pay him.
However ,the national legal adviser of PDP, Barr. Victor Kwon denied knowledge of the matter when he was reportedly contacted .He nonetheless said that it would be resolved as it was a distraction to President Jonathan’s re-election bid.
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