The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has referred Kalu Kalu, a lawyer to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) over his description of Federal High Court Justice Peter O. Lifu as a “coconut judge.”
NBA President Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, condemned the remark in a statement on Friday, November 13, following Kalu’s appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on November 11.
Kalu made the comment while discussing a Federal High Court judgment against the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and its implications for Atiku’s 2027 presidential ambition.
He argued that the judgment did not prevent Atiku from contesting the presidency but drew a warning from the programme’s host after referring to the judge as a “coconut judge.” Kalu subsequently withdrew the remark, saying, “Because of time, I do withdraw it.”
He also claimed that the Court of Appeal had previously made similar comments about the judge.
Badejo-Okusanya said she watched the interview and was troubled by Kalu’s conduct, stressing that lawyers must maintain professional standards when criticising judicial decisions.
She said lawyers could challenge a judgment, question a judge’s reasoning and identify errors in a decision, but such criticism must be based on legal arguments rather than personal insults.
The NBA president maintained that judges should be held accountable for their exercise of judicial powers, but warned that insulting them does not establish that a judgment is wrong.
“Instead, they diminish the quality of public debate and bring our profession into disrepute,” she said.
Badejo-Okusanya cited the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners, 2023, which require lawyers to uphold proper conduct and treat the courts with respect, dignity and honour.
She also noted that the rules provide channels for submitting complaints against judicial officers to the appropriate authorities.
