A lawyer, Bob James, has petitioned the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, calling for the suspension of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, from the Body of Benchers over what he described as “grossly unbecoming public conduct”.

The petition follows the circulation of a viral video showing the minister in a heated confrontation with a naval officer at a disputed land site in Abuja on November 11.

James, in the petition, said Wike’s conduct fell far below the standards expected of a member of the Body of Benchers, an institution saddled with the responsibility of regulating professional discipline and overseeing the call-to-bar process.

He noted that Wike, a senior lawyer, ought to embody the highest level of decorum, adding that his utterances in the video were “unprecedented and unacceptable within the legal profession”.

“The disturbing part of this entire episode is that Mr. Wike is not only a senior lawyer but also a bencher,” the petition read. “There is no precedent in Nigeria where a bencher publicly resorts to vulgar language or the kind of aggression associated with motor park touts.”

The lawyer argued that allowing Wike to appear at the next call-to-bar ceremony would undermine the moral authority of the Body of Benchers, sending the wrong message to new wigs.

According to him, fresh graduates of the Nigerian Law School may lose confidence in a body mandated to enforce discipline if one of its own is perceived to be above reproach.

He cited professional guidelines from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) in England, which emphasize that offensive remarks made in a personal capacity could constitute misconduct.

James also referenced the Court of Appeal decision in Ayorinde v. Kuforiji (2007) 4 NWLR (Pt 1024) 341, where Justice Amina Augie stressed that lawyers must guard their “tongues and pens” both in and out of court.

He maintained that Wike’s alleged utterances, if confirmed by an investigative panel, render him “not a fit and proper person” to sit on a body that determines disciplinary matters for the legal profession.

“It seems to me that if an investigating body makes a determination that Mr. Wike indeed used such foul language in public, then he is not fit to remain a member of the Body of Benchers,” he wrote.

James therefore urged the CJN to initiate a full inquiry into the incident and suspend the minister from the Body of Benchers pending the outcome of the investigation.