By Suleiman Anyalewechi
A Federal Court sitting in Abuja on Monday ordered the African Democratic Congress, ADC, and its National Welfare Secretary Nkemakolam Ukandu, to pay the sum of N50 million each to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court Honourable Justice John Tsoho and Justice Peter Lifu over non-diligent prosecution of a motion on notice filed before the court.
The Source reports that Ukandu had, in the wake of the reassignment of the ADC leadership tussle case between the Senator David Mark-led national leadership, and eirstwhile Deputy National Chairman Nafiu Bala-Gombe from Honourable Justice Emeka Nwite, filed an application accusing the duo of the Chief Judge and Justice Lifu of being biased in matters relating to the Mark-led National Executive Committee, NEC of the opposition Coalition platform.
Consequently, the ADC and Ukandu, its National Welfare Secretary following the dismissal of its application for Justice Lifu to recuse himself from the case, filed a motion on notice before Justice Salim Ibrahim alleging bias, and compromised on the part of the duo of the Chief Judge and Justice Lifu in relation to cases involving the Senator Mark-led faction of the ADC.
Ukandu had in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1165/2026 prayed the court for an order compelling the National Judicial Council, NJC, to conduct an inquest into a series of allegations of corruption, bias and abuse of judicial powers leveled against Justices Tsoho and Lifu.
The plaintiff had faulted the Chief Judge for succumbing to the earlier demand by Bala-Gombe to reassign the party’s leadership tussle case to Justice Lifu despite protestations from the party.
The ADC National Welfare Secretary similarly accused Justice Lifu of manifest bias ,as well as willingness to do the biddings of individuals working against the ADC, following his refusal to join Ukandu as a party in the ongoing legal battle between Mark and Bala-Gombe.
However, following repeated failures of the plaintiff ,and his legal representatives to appear in court, presiding Judge , Justice Ibrahim on June 30, 2026 warned that he will be left with no other choice than to dismiss the motion on notice over the plaintiff’s failure to appear in court.
According to Justice Ibrahim, neither Ukandu nor his lawyer had bothered to appear before the court since officially instituting the case.
Consequently, while ruling on an oral application filed by J U K Igwe counsel to Justices Tsoho and Lifu on Monday , justice Ibrahim ordered the plaintiff to pay both defendants the sum of N 50 million each within the next 14 days.
He also struck out the suit for lack of diligent prosecution.
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