The Gadzama Case: Can the Federal High Court Quash an LPDC Direction?

The Federal High Court in Abuja has opened a new legal route for Chief J-K Gadzama to challenge a three-year suspension, but it has not quashed the disciplinary decision.

According to an enrolled order reported by TheNigeriaLawyer, Justice Obiora-Atuegwu Egwuatu granted Gadzama leave on 20 August 2026 to apply for judicial review and seek an order of certiorari against the direction issued by the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee on 29 July 2026. The case is identified as FHC/ABJ/CS/1954/2026.

The substantive application must be filed within seven days, and the matter was adjourned to 4 September 2026, subject to service on the respondents. The court’s permission allows Gadzama to proceed with the application. It does not set aside the suspension, establish that the LPDC acted unlawfully or decide the case in his favor.

The development follows an earlier dispute over where an appeal from an LPDC direction should be filed. Gadzama had rejected the committee’s decision and announced plans to appeal directly to the Supreme Court. That route became controversial after the Supreme Court’s recent position on appeals arising from the LPDC. The article also points to the practical unavailability of the Appeal Committee of the Body of Benchers and asks whether the body could be compelled by mandamus to constitute it.

The new Federal High Court proceedings create a different question: whether certiorari can quash an LPDC direction. The article emphasizes that certiorari is a judicial-review remedy, not simply another form of appeal. The respondents will still have an opportunity to contest the substantive application.