Rabiu Omaku
- Ex- Justice Commissioner, S.A Special Duties and APC legal Adviser gave us N7.3m at Govt House-Bar.Sheltu
Barely two years after a fierce legal battle by the ruling party in Nasarawa state to reclaimed her mandate over the outcome of Local Government election held in March, 2014 ,Six residents lawyers has sued the All Progressives Congress over breach of thrust following the non payment of their fee amounting to N100m.
The jurist are challenging the Nasarawa state wing of the party for defaulting the payment of N92.7m following a service rendered to the party, The ruling party hired the services of the team of jurist to challenge the victory of the People’s Democratic Party clinching the chairmanship seats of Keffi, Keana, Kokona and other Councillors seats across the state.
The lawyers averred that the party succeeded in paying the sum of N7.3m instead of the 75% of N100m as agreed in the contractual agreement,Bar.Shikammah Sheltu ,Esq ,The principal Counsel and Head of S.K Sheltu Chamber while shedding more light on the ongoing litigation said APC dumped them and re-hired other lawyers to continue with the case of council chairmen and councilors respectively.
Other defendant in the suit also include the state chairman of the party Philip Shekwor, The national secretariat of the party and Nasarawa wing of the APC,The applicants has vowed to go to the apex court over the defaulting N92.7m
“We entered into agreement with the ruling APC to paid a professional fee of N100m but they ended up paying just N7.3m which was not up to 10% of the amount as against the initial 75% paid by our clients,
“We wrote several letters as a reminder over the non payment of our fees on 6/1/2015,Apart from earlier reminder of 31/3/2014 but to no avail, Infact all we get was assurances from party chieftains barely two years after we rendered our services, He added.
Bar.Sheltu further affirmed that the N7.3m was presented to the legal team by the former Attorney General and commissioner of Justice,Bar.Innocent Lagi ,the estwhile Special Adviser on special Duties Bar. Abdullahi Muhammed and the legal Adviser to Bar.Muhammed Ilegwu at the Government House Lafia.
The lawyers are, Barrister Uba Musa Mohammed,Bar.U.A Idris,Bar.A.M Mohammed,Bar.Isa A.B Bello,Bar.A.U Abdullahi and Bar.Shikammah K.Sheltu applicants jointly sued the chairman of the party ,Philip Shekwor for breach of contract,The resident lawyers buttressed that the ruling party in the state hired them and the perfected the contract by rendering service but the party defaulted the payment of 75% as demanded by the jurist.
The plaintiffs in suit number NSD/LF,62/2015 before his lordship Justice Umar Dikko ( Chief Judge) scheduled 19/01/2016 for hearing of the matter, The applicants in a joint affidavit prayed the honorable court for the following orders.
1.An order of the honorable court granting leave to place and determine the claim of the applicants against the respondents as a suit on the undefended list.
2.An ordet of the court deeming the proposed suit as exhibit ” A” as a suit properly filed and placed on the undefended list.
3.An for such further orders as the court may deem fit to make in the circumstances.
“The matter was scheduled for hearing at the high court of justice,Lafia ,Nasarawa state, The state secretary of the party, Aliyu Bello in an interview denied the said information, Adding that the present crop of APC executives did not entered into any contractual agreement as he maintained that the present exco were inaugurated on November 2014 seven (7) months after council election.
“Though the party was in receipt of a court order, When we assumed the mantle of leadership there was no handover note from our predecessor, So for that reason I’m not in picture of that agreement as no concrete documents in relation to that.
The former interim secretary of the party in the state, Barrister Mustapha Galadima when contacted said the former commissioner of Justice, Innocent Lagi, Bar. Abdullahi Muhammed, Special Adviser on special Duties and the Legal Adviser to the party ,Bar.Muhammed Ilegwu are in a position to give vivid information on the signed deal.
The erstwhile Justice Commissioner, Bar.Innocent Lagi did not respond to calls and text messages send to his phone as at press time.
