The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the National Welfare Secretary of the African Democratic Party (ADC), Nkemakolam Ukandu, to pay a total of N100 million in damages to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, and Justice Peter Lifu after striking out a suit he filed against them.

Delivering a ruling on Monday, Justice Salim Ibrahim directed Ukandu to pay N50 million each to Justice Tsoho and Justice Lifu within 14 days. The order followed an oral application by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), J.U.K. Igwe, who represented the two judicial officers in the matter.

Before issuing the cost order, Justice Ibrahim struck out the suit for lack of diligent prosecution, citing the repeated absence of both the plaintiff and his counsel from court proceedings.

Ukandu had instituted the suit against the National Judicial Council (NJC), Justice Tsoho and Justice Lifu, accusing the judges of bias, abuse of judicial authority and disobedience to court orders. He sought a court order compelling the NJC to investigate allegations of corruption and misconduct allegedly committed by the two judges.

The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1165/2026, was filed amid the lingering leadership crisis within the ADC.

However, court records showed that neither Ukandu nor his legal representative appeared before Justice Ibrahim at any stage after the matter was assigned to his court. Their continued absence prompted concerns over the seriousness of the action.

At the previous sitting on June 30, Justice Ibrahim had warned that the suit could be dismissed if the plaintiff and his lawyer failed to appear and prosecute the case.

With no appearance from the claimant when the matter came up again, the court proceeded to strike out the suit and awarded substantial costs against him.

The controversy is linked to the ongoing ADC leadership dispute involving an aggrieved party member, Nafiu-Bala Gombe, whose case remains pending before Justice Lifu.

The ruling marks a dramatic twist in the legal battle, as the court not only terminated the action but also imposed heavy financial penalties on the plaintiff for failing to pursue the case he initiated.