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Friday 27 July 2012

Supreme Court Indictment: PDP gives Reps Minority Leader 14 Days Ultimatum to resign



The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Southwest has given the House of Representatives Minority Leader, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila 14 days within which he must resign his membership of the lower chamber of the National Assembly.

The party said in a release issued by the Zonal Publicity Secretary, Hon Kayode Babade that since Gbajabiamila has admitted that he was sanctioned by the Georgia Supreme Court for professional misconduct and negligence, the most honourable thing to do is to vacate his seat in the House of Representatives.

The Supreme Court of Georgia had on February 26, 2007 suspended Femi Gbajabiamila from practising law for 36 months. 

The Reps Minority Leader, who is a member of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and was known as Femi Gbaja then admitted violating Rule 1.15(I) of the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct set forth in Bar Rule 4-102(d).

He allegedly admitted that he accepted payment of $25,000 as settlement of a client's personal injury claims, deposited those funds in his attorney trust account in January 2003, but failed to promptly disburse those funds to his client, while he withdrew those funds for his own use, closed his practice and moved out of the country.

Although he ultimately paid the $25,000 to his client in 2006, three years after he collected the fund, his conduct violated Rule 1.15(I), which punishable by disbarment.

Reacting, the PDP said it was ridiculous that Gbajabiamila could be using the House of Representatives impeachment plot against President Goodluck Jonathan as a defence for his own shady past saying it is more honourable for Hon Gbajabiamila to vacate his seat and apologise to Nigerians.

He said it is morally wrong that after committing such wrong, the Honourable could be championing good governance and impeachment of the president


The PDP threatened to approach the court to declare his seat vacant should he fail to follow what the party described as the path of honour within the next 14 days

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