Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central has formally requested that the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) investigate Senator Neda Imasuen of Edo South, alleging that he was barred from practicing law in the United States.
She also accused Senator Imasuen of ignoring a court order that prohibited the Senate’s Ethics Privileges and Public Petitions Committee, which he leads, from investigating her conduct during a February 20th Senate session.
Senator Imasuen, a lawyer and Labour Party member, was reportedly permanently disbarred by the Supreme Court of New York due to claims that he abandoned a client’s case after receiving payment.
A judicial grievance committee found him guilty of professional misconduct, including misuse of client funds and non-compliance with disciplinary authorities, leading to the revocation of his New York legal license in 2010.
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Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan claims that Senator Imasuen did not disclose his disbarment while building his political career in Nigeria, before becoming a senator and chairing the ethics committee, a position requiring high ethical standards.
In her petition, she argues that Senator Imasuen’s failure to reveal his disbarment in official documents, such as his INEC FORM EC-9, raises questions about his suitability for a role that demands “unimpeachable integrity.”
“in the petition, Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan said, ” That despite this disbarment which was hinged on unethical conduct, the respondent failed to disclose this sanction both in the legal profession and political space, as a senator and was eventually made the chairman of 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.”
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Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan provided supporting evidence with her petition, including a report from People’s Gazette that detailed Senator Imasuen’s disbarment, and a U.S. court document that confirmed it.
In addition to the disbarment, she accused Senator Imasuen of contempt of court, alleging he ignored a judicial order.
She stated that on March 4th, the Federal High Court in Abuja issued an interim order that prevented the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions from investigating her conduct during a February 20th plenary session.
Despite receiving this order on March 5th, she claims that Senator Imasuen proceeded with the investigation, which led to the committee recommending her six-month suspension from the Senate.
She argued that this action demonstrated a disregard for the judiciary’s authority and a violation of the rule of law.
It is worth noting that a few days later, a Federal High Court judge in Abuja, Obiora Egwuatu, reversed the earlier order, allowing the investigation to continue after hearing arguments from both sides. However, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan did not include this detail in her petition to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee.
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