‘Baddest Lawyer’ Ifunanya Gains Support As Legal Professionals Fault NBA’s Petition Against Her
On Sunday, lawyers took divergent positions regarding the Nigerian Bar Association’s (NBA) petition against Ifunanya Excel Grant aka “baddest lawyer” filed before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC).
The NBA is the umbrella body of Nigerian lawyers.
Its National Executive Committee (NEC) led by the NBA President, Mr Yakubu Chonoko Maikyau, SAN, on Saturday approved a petition against Ifunanya, a member of the NBA Abia branch, citing complaints over “her social media notoriety of posting pictures and videos of herself unclad and smoking marijuana.”
The LPDC is empowered by the LPDC Act 2020 to determine applications against legal practitioners, with suspension being one of its options.
Maikyau explained that while none of the lawyers petitioned is deemed guilty of professional misconduct until the LPDC hands down its decisions after fair trial, there is need for lawyers “to continue to be of best conduct wherever they find themselves”, and that his leadership “will not relent in ridding the profession of the very few bad eggs that may be found.”
Reacting, a lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi warned the association against suing lawyers over their social life.
He maintained that Ifunanya’s dressing only amounted to professional misconduct if she wore it to any legal event.
“NBA should stop any attempt to discipline this young lady. This is personal and social misconduct not professional misconduct and NBA lacks jurisdiction to take up this matter. It would have been different if she dressed like this in any NBA event. This is lifestyle and she is not the only lawyer with such lifestyle. NBA take your time,” Pelumi wrote via his Facebook page on Sunday.
For Paul Alobi, he accused the NBA of double standards, alleging the association and the LPDC committee failed to sanction learned silk Wole Olanipekun whose employee had asked a client to engage her principal over his alleged influence on judges.
“Double standards. What was done to Wole Olanikpekun and her junior who tried to snatch Ajumogobia’s brief and boasted of having connections to influence Court judgments?,” he stated on Facebook, even though the LPDC had exonerated Olanipekun of being aware such discussion took place between his staff and a client.
On his part, Kenechukwu Oguejiofor stated via Facebook that the NBA’s petition is a means of diverting the attention of lawyers on key issues affecting the society and the justice sector.
“Is she the actual problem that the Bar is actually facing? I believe that the petition against her and the disciplinary actions that may follow are simply diversionary,” he posted.
Meanwhile, a former first vice President of the NBA,John Aikpokpo-Martins, urged lawyers who are against NBA’s move to defend Ifunanya when proceedings commence.
“Any lawyer who feels so strongly about Ifunanya, the baddest lawyer, is welcome to defend her at the LPDC,” he wrote on his Facebook page on Sunday.
