A Former attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice, Chief Bayo Ojo (SAN), who is the lead lawyer to the former acting governor of Adamawa State, Umar Fintiri, has dragged Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the federal High Court in Abuja before the National Judicial Council over alleged misconduct.

Justice Ademola last week sacked Fintiri as the acting governor and ordered that Bala Ngilari be installed as the governor.

But in the petition dated October 10 and a follow-up dated October 14, signed by Chief Duro Adeyele (SAN), Ojo is asking the NJC to take a judicial notice of the fllowing conduct of the judge: “To begin with, though Tuesday October 7 was a public holiday, I got a phone call at about 6:19 pm from someone who claimed to be the secretary to the presiding judge of Federal High Court No 6, Abuja intimating me that judgement in the above quoted suit would be delivered the next day Wednesday 8th October.

“I was not in Abuja and I therefore instructed one of my junior colleagues in chambers to go for the judgement. I also emphasised that he should obtain a certified true copy of the judgement as my expectation was that His Lordship would make a copy of the judgement available to parties knowing the constitutional and political nature of the case. However, no copy of the judgement was made available.

“On getting back to Abuja on the same Wednesday October 8, I instructed one of my junior colleagues in chambers to apply for a certified true copy of the said judgement to concretise the notice of appeal which I had instruction of my client to file.

“However, up till close of business of that day, the judgement was not made available. Nevertheless, I still went ahead to file a notice of appeal based on what my junior heard in court.

“My Lord, to my shock and surprise, up till the close of business the next day Thursday and Friday, Ademola J. refused to release the said judgement and there is no indication from the court when it will be ready and made available to me. One would expect that in a matter such as this, his Lordship should have gotten the judgement ready before delivering same.

“What now compounded the situation is that even though I was not availed a copy of the judgement, an enrolled order of the judgement was served on INEC headquarters Abuja by 11:28 am on the date of judgement October 8 and by 2pm of the same day, a copy of the said enrolled order was taken to the chief of staff of my client at the Government House, Jimeta, Yola, Adamawa State.”