Federal High Court Orders ADC Official to Pay N100m Damages to Chief Judge, Justice Lifu

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the National Welfare Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nkemakolam Ukandu, to pay N100 million in damages to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, and Justice Peter Lifu after striking out his lawsuit for lack of diligent prosecution.

Justice Salim Ibrahim delivered the ruling on Monday, directing Ukandu to pay N50 million each to Justice Tsoho and Justice Lifu within 14 days. The award followed an oral application filed by counsel to the two judges, Mr. J.U.K. Igwe (SAN).

Before issuing the damages order, Justice Ibrahim struck out the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1165/2026, after finding that the plaintiff had failed to diligently prosecute the case. The court noted that Ukandu and his legal counsel repeatedly failed to appear for proceedings despite previous warnings.

The judge recalled that during the June 30 sitting, he had cautioned that the matter would be dismissed if the plaintiff or his lawyer failed to attend future hearings. When they again failed to appear, the court proceeded to strike out the case.

Ukandu had instituted the suit against the National Judicial Council (NJC), Justice Tsoho and Justice Lifu, accusing the judges of judicial bias, abuse of judicial powers and disobedience to court orders. He sought an order compelling the NJC to investigate the allegations and take appropriate disciplinary action.

The case is connected to the lingering leadership dispute within the ADC. The dispute stems from a separate suit filed by an aggrieved party member, Nafiu-Bala Gombe, which is currently before Justice Peter Lifu. Gombe is asking the court to restrain the leadership led by former Senate President David Mark from presenting itself as the legitimate leadership of the party.

Ukandu, who is seeking to be joined in the leadership dispute, had alleged that Justice Tsoho improperly reassigned the matter from Justice Emeka Nwite to Justice Lifu. He argued that the reassignment violated an earlier order of Justice Nwite as well as a Supreme Court decision.

Monday’s ruling marks another legal twist in the ongoing contest over the leadership of the ADC, with the court emphasizing that parties must diligently pursue cases brought before it or risk dismissal and financial consequences.