Steel Attorneys' lawyers have accused Gombe State governor, Inuwa Yahaya, and the state's All Progressives Congress of not paying them N40m in legal fees.
The Director General, Press Affairs, Gombe State Government House, Ismaila Misilli, said there is no record of the governor engaging the lawyer or having any financial obligation to them.
Musili said, "There is no record of such firm being engaged to represent either the APC or the governor at the Election Tribunal, Court of Appeal, or the Supreme Court, and they wish to clarify the claim of N40m professional fees."
He emphasized that the process for recovering professional fees is well-known among legal practitioners and resorting to media pressure is not a means, and any wrongful allegations may lead to legal action.
The lawyers said they were owed N40m for the service they provided to the governor and the party in a case brought by Jibrin Barde and the Peoples Democratic Party.
In the case marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1301/2022, the plaintiffs alleged that the governor, who was seeking re-election, presented a forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission and deserved to be barred from parading himself as the APC candidate for the 2023 governorship poll.
In the engagement letter seen by our correspondent on Monday, the then acting Head of APC Legal Services, Ojochogwu Aiyejina, on behalf of the APC National Legal Adviser, sent a letter to the firm, requesting their representation of the governor in the matter.
Aiyejina mentioned that the governor would be responsible for the payment of the legal fees.
"Muhammed Inuwa shall be responsible for the payment of your professional fees," the letter partly read.
According to media reports, the governor won the matter at the Federal High Court, Appeal and at the apex court.
Despite sending letters dated August 17, November 7, 2023, and March 28, 2024, to remind the governor about the outstanding amount owed, there was no response or action taken.
In the letter dated November 7, 2023, by Marshal Abubakar for Steel Attorneys, he claimed other lawyers on the team were demanding their money.
The letter partly read, "A Soft Reminder To Pay The Negotiated N40.000.000.00 Only Being Payment For Professional Fees In The Above Referenced Case.
As your Excellency is no doubt aware, it's ten months since you briefed us and nine months since we effectively represented and defended your interest in the above-referenced suit.
We are officially demanding the payment of our negotiated professional fees which parties had agreed as forty million (40,000,000.00) naira only.
"We are conscious of the fact that your Excellency, is fully conversant with the provisions of Quran 7: 85.
“As we mentioned in our previous messages to you, the other lawyers involved in this case have lost patience and have been exchanging threats against our main partner.
“Through this letter, Your Excellency is requested to make the payment of the agreed amount of N40,000,000.00 within seven days of receiving this letter using the following bank details; Please be aware that if you fail to meet this demand, we will have to use all possible legal methods to recover the full sum as well as costs and damages from you. We hope for your prompt positive response, and send our usual professional regards.”
Numerous attempts to reach the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Gombe State, Zubairu Umar (also known as Chiroman Gombe), were unsuccessful. He has not yet responded to the message sent to him regarding the matter.
When our correspondent showed one of the engagement letters addressed to the law firm to the Director General of Press Affairs at Gombe State Government House, Misilli, he advised our correspondent to contact the office that sent the letter.
He stated, “You can get in touch with the person who signed the letter.”
The National Legal Adviser of the APC, Prof. Abdul Kana, did not answer our calls. There was also no response to the message sent to him.
