Two legal practitioners, Kolade Adeboyega and Femi Adedeji on Wednesday clashed over who represents 110 former staff members of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in the National Industrial Court, Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the defendant is seeking documents from PTAD that will correct discrepancies in the computations of the claimants’ pension and gratuity benefits.
The claimants” appointments were terminated in 1996, however as part of the order of the court, the institution converted the termination letters to reinstatement or retirement letters as applicable to each staff member.
The parties as part of the terms of the settlement had agreed on arrears of salary computations, but have failed to reach an agreement on the pension and gratuity computations.
At the resumed hearing, Adeboyega told the court that the claimants provided him with a copy of an affidavit deposed to which is before the court.
He said the affidavit for solicitors was dated March 8, 2024, and attached are three documents, a letter by ABU Zaria disengaged staff association which has been brought to the knowledge of the court.
” They informed Mr Femi Falana that they no longer want Adedeji as their representative and they wrote to him in September 2023 to that effect,” he said.
He added that the claimants were not debriefing Falana’s chambers but do not want Adedeji’s services anymore adding that none of the 110 members had written letters to disassociate themselves from this.
In response, Adedeji notified the court that Adeboyega had relied on an affidavit that he had never seen before adding that he had not been served.
”I have received calls from over 50 of my clients affirming that they are not in support of the representation of the counsels in the matter. There cannot be two representatives in a matter.
”About five of the claimants no longer want me in the matter, but they cannot appoint counsel for the other claimants.
“The letter written by four of the claimants who are Mr Joseph Ekundayo, Daniel Bode, Abraham Ambule and Wahabi Abubakar is from them, I do not represent any association or individual, I represent a 110.
”The right of legal representation should be exercised by individuals willingly and cannot impose the same on other claimants, I would not oppose a change of legal representation for the four claimants who have stated that they do not want me, they can go,” he said.
Justice Rakiya Haastrup adjourned the matter until May 8 to rule over the counsel submissions on legal representation.
