Lawyer Wole Olanipekun has dissociated himself and firm from an attempt by a lawyer in his firm Adekunbi Ogunde to hijack a client of a colleague Odein Ajumogobia.
Ogunde had written Ajumogobia’s client, Saipem, urging the company to consider choosing Olanipekun’s law firm over Ajumogobia’s in a suit alleging $130 million fraud brought against it by Rivers State Government.
She said, “I believe that you need a more influential lawyer/law firm to prevent a potential huge payout to the Rivers State Government and without a doubt, I believe that my law firm, Wole Olanipekun & Co., can help in this regard.”
Ogunde also claimed Olanipekun would use his “influence” as chairman of the Body of Benchers to win judgement in favour of Saipem.
“We are aware that another law firm is currently in the matter but you will agree that highly-sensitive and political matters require more influence. We are happy to work with the current lawyers to achieve the desired results,” she said.
“Chief Olanipekun SAN, OFR, in the matter will significantly switch things in favour of SAIPEM. Chief Olanipekun SAN, OFR is currently the chairman of the Body of Benchers, which is the highest ruling body in the Nigerian legal profession, made up of supreme court judges, presiding justices of the court of appeal and chief judges of all state high courts, including the Rivers state high court.”
Ajumogobia wrote Olanipekun’s law firm, condemning the content of the letter as breach of legal ethics.
However, Olanipekun replied in a letter dated June 24, saying he did not authorise Ogunde’s move.
“In effect, the writer of the letter under reference was on her own, and we do wholly dissociate ourselves from the letter and its contents: while internal measures would immediately be taken to address and redress this very unfortunate situation,” he said.
Olanipekun also apologised to Ajumogobia and his firm for the “embarrassment which the letter might have caused them.”
