NBA ELECTIONS: VERIFICATION ‘HOT LINES’ GO COLD

BY EMEKA NWADIOKE

Doubts were yesterday cast on the functionality of the Help Desk set up by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to facilitate the verification exercise for the forthcoming NBA Elections, as the hot lines were unavailable. The elections are scheduled to hold on July 29 and 30, 2020 to elect new national officers for the association.

The NBA had in an online post by its Assistant National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Akorede Habeeb Lawal titled “NBA VERIFICATION SUPPORT” unveiled some telephone numbers to assist lawyers having challenges with the verification exercise.

The statement read: “In order to afford support for our members going through the verification process or having issues with accessing their personal portals on the NBA website, the NBA has introduced the following support lines which shall be available from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm every day of the week.” He also added that “Complaints may also be sent to support@nigerianbar.org.ng.”

However, when CITY LAWYER dialed all the four numbers between 7:33 pm and 7:35 pm yesterday, none of the numbers connected. Instead, each telephone number returned the message that “The MTN number you are trying to call is currently switched off. Please try again later.” The numbers are 08168011579, 08165374194, 08165037594 and 08167181605. It was unclear at press time how this will impact the verification exercise.

It is recalled that the Electoral Committee of the NBA (ECNBA) had in its ECNBA STATEMENT NO 009 at the weekend announced the same numbers as help lines for the verification exercise.

In the statement signed by its Chairman, Mr. Tawo Eja Tawo SAN, the electoral committee stated that “Members who are yet to undertake the verification of their particulars on the NBA website are advised to do so without further delay. Members are required to activate their personal portal on the website upon verification not later than the 15th day of July 2020.

“A support system which will become operational from Monday the 29th day of June 2020 is being set up with the following dedicated lines 08168011579, 08165374194, 08165037594 and 08167181605 email: support@nigerianbar.org.ng.”

In an earlier statement dated June 21, 2020 the electoral committee announced commencement of the verification exercise, a critical part of the electioneering process, saying: “The ECNBA hereby request all eligible voters to immediately verify their details on the NBA Website to be able to vote in the elections.

VERIFICATION PROCESS
To be verified means that all the member’s necessary and relevant data (particularly phone numbers, email address, postal and home address) are with the Nigerian Bar Association. For you to vote, you are required to maintain an active portal on the NBA website:

(a) For members who have not previously been verified:
1. Visit https://nigerianbar.org.ng/membership-portal
2. Click on the Get Verified Option and do the following:

Enter your email address correctly and complete the verification form;
Upload a soft copy of your call to bar certificate;
Patiently wait for a confirmation email from the NBA, which will contain your Supreme Court enrolment number and a temporary password (that you can always change at your convenience).

3. Upon receiving a confirmation email from the NBA indicating that you have been successfully verified, do the following:

Go back to the NBA Membership Portal page;
Copy your enrolment number and password from the confirmation email and enter same on the portal as login details to avoid errors;
Ensure you type both the alphabets and figures of your Supreme Court Number together without space (E.G.: SCN111111).

(b) For members who have previously been verified but unable to login:

1. Visit https://nigerianbar.org.ng/membership-portal

2. Click Forgot Password

3. Enter Your Supreme Court Number and follow the instructions.”

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NBA GENERAL SECRETARY: SAN, OTHERS BACK ALEX MUOKA

  • EX YOUNG LAWYERS’ FORUM CHAIR, TOO

The quest by former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Lagos Branch Chairman, Mr. Alex Muoka to clinch the influential seat of NBA General Secretary received a major boost today with his endorsement by leading white-collar litigator, Mr. Chijioke Okoli SAN.

A former (NBA), Lagos Branch Chairman himself, Okoli said that Muoka “unquestionably ticks all the requisite boxes” in the run-up to the elections, adding that having lived a life of service to the Bar, “I have no doubt at all that the NBA would be putting its best leg forward if we elect Alex Muoka as our General Secretary in the coming elections.”

Similar endorsements also came from former Chairman of NBA Lagos Branch Young Lawyers’ Forum (YLF), Ms. Derin Fagbure and the Head of Chambers, A. Muoka & Co., Layo Olugbemi.

Below are the full texts of their endorsements:

CHIJIOKE OKOLI, SAN
ENDORSEMENT OF ALEX MUOKA FOR THE OFFICE OF NBA GENERAL SECRETARY
It is axiomatic that the bane of Nigerian socio-political space in general, of which the Nigerian Bar Association [NBA] is a significant stakeholder, has been the persistently faulty leadership selection processes and choices. Whilst strong institutions are crucially important, it is good men and women who are fit-for-purpose that could, and would, build those institutions. For the NBA, the Secretariat is its engine room and it is critical that care is specially taken in choosing its helmsman, the General Secretary. The occupant must have what it takes to meet the great demands of that high office.

It is for the reason that Alex Muoka unquestionably ticks all the requisite boxes that I am not only supporting him, I nominated him for election to the office. He has managed to be an outstanding lawyer whilst living a life of service to the Bar. As Secretary of the NBA Lagos Branch, apart from reorganizing the Branch Secretariat and making it palpably more efficient, he had a unique and refreshing spin to his writings that the members looked forward to reading minutes of branch meetings and reports the way John Grisham afficionados look forward to his new offerings.

Muoka went on to become Chairman of the Lagos Branch and continued with his record of excellent record of service to the Bar; bringing to the table of leadership good management of men and resources, gravitas, inclusiveness, strength of character and remarkable integrity. His cosmopolitan background and worldview also equip him well, as happened in his tenure as the Chairman of Lagos Branch, to navigate adroitly for optimum performance in the office of General Secretary of an NBA constituted of lawyers of diverse backgrounds and interests.

My dear learned friends, I have no doubt at all that the NBA would be putting its best leg forward if we elect Alex Muoka as our General Secretary in the coming elections.

DERIN FAGBURE
FORMER CHAIRMAN, NBA LAGOS BRANCH YOUNG LAWYERS’ FORUM

Mr Alex Muoka, ‘Oga mi’, as I call him, is a man of his words. He has a good command of language and could make a joke out of the most serious things. It is no wonder he is a highly sought-after compere at legal events, both formal and informal. Mind you, behind those jokes, deep thought is given to the legal implications of the conversation.

As a past Chairman of the Young Lawyers’ Forum of the NBA Lagos Branch, I can attest to the fact that he has the welfare of young lawyers at heart. He is a Senior who relates well with the younger members of the Bar, and appreciates the importance of mentorship. Mr Muoka is not one to make empty promises, and I, therefore, am truly convinced that he would carry out the promises in his manifesto, to the letter.

I wholeheartedly endorse Mr. Alex Muoka for the position of General Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association.

Ms. Derin Fagbure
Former Chairman
NBA Lagos Branch YLF

LAYO OLUGBEMI
HEAD OF CHAMBERS, A. MUOKA & CO
I have had the opportunity of working in the law-firm of ‘A. Muoka & Co.’ for more than a decade.

Alex Muoka is a fine gentleman who brings to bear the spirit of distinction in the way and manner he manages our firm.

I have no hesitation whatsoever in endorsing Alex Muoka as General Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association – for he will bring the much desired unity to our Association.

He has justifiably paid his dues in the run up to this National office from his impressive antecedents as Secretary of the Lagos Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association and Branch Chairman as well.

His sterling qualities have endeared him to friends and colleagues, many of whom speak about him with admiration. A brilliant lawyer and erudite writer, very detailed, highly principled and purpose driven. He takes no prisoners in his resolute determination to succeed.

Therefore, Alex Muoka has all it takes to raise the Nigerian Bar to another level.

Layo Olugbemi
HEAD OF CHAMBERS, A. MUOKA & CO

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CABLE TV PROFITEERING MUST CEASE NOW – ADEGBORUWA

By Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN

In this article, leading human rights activist, By Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN argues that cable television service providers must change their billing system to a more humane model, urging the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to wake up to its regulatory duties.

It was like a movie, watching the proceedings of the Ad Hoc Committee set up by the House of Representatives, to probe the hike of subscription rates by cable television service providers. The Chairman of the said Committee, Hon Unyime Idem, took me back to my Aluta days at Obafemi Awolowo University (Great Ife), roaring like a lion and reeling out the will of the people of Nigeria with such vehemence, on these shylock entities called cable television companies. The Committee had summoned the lameduck Nigeria Broadcasting Commission, NBC, which has for years unleashed a monopoly upon Nigerians, to milk us dry, without effective statutory regulation. NBC was asked to explain why DSTV and other cable service providers have blatantly and arrogantly refused to introduce pay as you view to their customers. For the avoidance of any doubt whatsoever, let me restate the status quo of this broadcasting brouhaha.

The cable television service providers force their customers into a monthly regime of subscription, irrespective of the conditions of viewing, the quality of the service or even its availability. So, you pay for DSTV in your house for a whole month or a whole year, you pay for DSTV in your office, you pay for DSTV in your village, you pay for DSTV in your guest house in Abuja or anywhere else you have some presence. The cable television company keeps collecting money for dormant viewing or no viewing and keeps smiling to the bank everyday, upon the sweat and suffering of its customers. Not being God with the capacity to be omnipresent, a human being can only be at a single location at a given time. Whilst your television in the office is off at night or anytime you are not there, you keep paying for viewing nothing; when you travel outside Nigeria or you are away from your house or your office, you keep servicing the empty apartment through monthly or yearly payment. When you happen to pop in and you are ready to watch the television just may be once in a month, it would suddenly go off, due to bad weather, poor connection, thunderstorm or common rainfall, but you have paid to the company and you must keep paying. Thus, the situation with many Nigerians is that we are forced to subsidize the greed of the cable television service providers, which profit from services not rendered and they are not willing to change, taking this as some kind of windfall.

“All people of good conscience must commend the House of Representatives for this bold initiative, while we urge the Senate to join the crusade to free us from this commercial exploitation. How many more years does DSTV require to recoup capital since these many decades of extortion? This must not be another flash in the pan, or the usual noise-making gathering, that will be swept under the dirty Nigerian carpet.”

The National Broadcasting Commission Act is very clear, in terms of the powers vested upon the NBC to regulate the broadcasting industry in Nigeria, especially in section 2 thereof. The NBC is empowered to regulate and control the broadcasting industry, to investigate complaints regarding the contents of a broadcast and the conduct of broadcasting stations and upholding the principles of equity and fairness in broadcasting, etc. As you would well agree with me, the NBC has so far turned a blind eye to the exploitative tendencies of the cable television service providers, with scant regard for the onerous responsibility imposed upon it by law to ensure “strict adherence to the national laws, rules and regulations relating to the participation of foreign capital in relation to local capital in broadcasting”.Nigerians have before now protested, they have filed cases in court and they have written several complaints to the National Assembly, all to no avail, as the service providers have insisted on maximum profit, without regard for the satisfaction or plight of their customers. And the questions keep popping up all the time: why is there only one company in a country of about two hundred million people, providing cable television service? Why DSTV only? Why has NBC become so weak and dysfunctional to become totally incapable of protecting the people that it was set up to serve? When will the exploitation end? Why is it impossible to hold DSTV accountable to the same pay per view policy that the same company is implementing in its home country and indeed other African countries? So many questions indeed.

If your subscription to cable television expires, you are disconnected instantly and automatically, but when you renew it, you have to call customer service to get reconnected, going through all manner of manipulative regimes that may cause you days of inactive service despite payment which is already running. What has NBC done, to advocate for extension of viewing time to correspond to the period of inactive service after payment? How do you allow a company floated by private individuals for their own personal profit, to ride roughshod over a whole nation, rendering all of us helpless and exploited? During the initial life of GSM service providers in Nigeria, we heard all manner of stories and arguments why it was impossible to provide calls per second, until another network came on board and revolutionized GSM in Nigeria, thus freeing us from the commercial bondage. It is the same story with DSTV and other cable television service providers. Attempts have been made in the past to compete with DSTV and break its monopoly, through HITV and lately TSTV, all of which did not materialize. Why? Only NBC can answer that question successfully.

This was the scenario until June 25, 2020, when the House of Representatives through its Ad Hoc Committee gave a marching order to DSTV and other cable television service providers to begin the implementation of the pay per view policy immediately.There had been a debate on the floor of the House earlier, when Honourable Idem and other members took up this challenge. Let us go through the newsreport of the proceedings of the House:

“DSTV and other Direct-to-home service providers have deliberately refused to implement the pay as you go plan but rather charge users on a fixed monthly tariff plan, unlike what is obtained outside Nigeria.”

He also explained that Nigeria constitutes over 40% of the total subscribers of DSTV, adding that Nigerians do not get to use the monthly subscription due to one reason or another. Also speaking in support of the motion, Aminu Suleiman called for an end to the monopoly enjoyed by DSTV.

“I have attempted for over a year now to sponsor a motion on the inhuman treatment the DSTV is dishing out to TV watchers in Nigeria. I say that because it is not only in Kenya that DSTV is operating the Pay-As-You view. It is just an abuse and playing with the intelligence of Nigerians. And the monopoly they enjoy contributes to this fact. We will have to encourage NCC to unbundle the entire process and allow investors to come in. They are South African companies, and they don’t do this general viewing to the South African viewers.”

This was the background, when the cable television companies met with the Ad Hoc Committee of the House on June 25, 2020. The Committee did not mince words at all, as it thundered and roared, very loud and clear. The Committee Chairman, Honourable Idem, stated in no uncertain terms that there will be no way for the companies to maneuver the system this time around, as a decision had been taken already, to ensure pay per view. It is for the companies to go back and fine tune the process of implementation, he said. I was moved to tears watching the proceedings of the Committee. I mean this is why we elected them in the first place, or else why should we all become so helpless to continue to tolerate the insensitivity of just one company, for these many years? When there is a power outage and your television and cable network are not powered, you are still paying for viewing nothing! Come on DSTV, this profiteering must come to an end! It is sheer wickedness and economic witchcraft, to continue to insist on the regime of monthly subscription; indeed it is ungodly, especially when this is not the practice in the home country of your company, South Africa. How do we allow a foreign investor, in the name of recouping capital, to invade our land with a shylock policy that it would dare not implement in its own country? How do people take us for granted in this way, if not for the active collusion of our citizens who have been entrusted with power to regulate but have surrendered themselves to be regulated instead?

All people of good conscience must commend the House of Representatives for this bold initiative, while we urge the Senate to join the crusade to free us from this commercial exploitation. How many more years does DSTV require to recoup capital since these many decades of extortion? This must not be another flash in the pan, or the usual noise-making gathering, that will be swept under the dirty Nigerian carpet. No, we must follow up with this to ensure it is implemented to the letter. The NBC must wake up and assert its authority on behalf of the people of Nigeria, to implement the pay per view policy, by all means necessary. Our representatives in the National Assembly have spoken our minds and there is no further assurance than the words spoken at the proceedings of the Ad Hoc Committee of the House of Representatives. Enough is enough. Do I hear your loud voice in support, roaring like thunder!

Please send emails to citylawyermag@gmail.com. Copyright 2020 CITY LAWYER. All materials available on this Website are protected by copyright, trade mark and other proprietary and intellectual property laws. You may not use any of our intellectual property rights without our express written consent or attribution to www.citylawyermag.com. However, you are permitted to print or save to your individual PC, tablet or storage extracts from this Website for your own personal non-commercial use.

AMNESTY INT’L, ODINKALU, BALLASON, OTHERS SEEK ACCOUNTABILITY FOR MASS KILLINGS

Amnesty International and human rights advocates have warned that unless there is accountability for mass killings in Nigeria, the trend will not stop.

Rising from the 2020 Annual Lecture of the Molluma Medico-Legal Centre held recently at House of Justice, Kaduna, the panelists noted that survivors, victims and communities affected by mass killings deserve empathy from government as well as dignity and closure. The theme of the lecture was “From atrocity to closure: Managing victims and deploying forensics in the aftermath of mass killings”

Country Director of Amnesty International in Nigeria, Osai Ojigho, decried the acceptance of impunity and lack of accountability for mass killings in Nigeria. Ojigho, who was on the panel of discussants, referred to cycles of killings and reprisals by terror groups and security forces or in so-called inter-communal clashes and regretted the seeming lack of interest on the part of the Nigerian government to bring these cycles to an end.

She gave the example of the massacre of Shiites in Zaria, Kaduna State, in December 2015 where security forces were involved in the mass killing and disappearance of hundreds with no consequences and no closure for the families despite the recommendations of a judicial commission of inquiry.

Ojigho underscored the importance of the “right to truth”, pointing out that truth has often times been caught in between a citizenry who demand accountability and government officials who disdain the kind of work that groups like Amnesty do in pursuit of truth about mass killings.

The keynote speaker at the lecture was world-renowned geneticist, Mishel Stephenson, representing Fredy Peccerelli, Executive Director of the Forensic Anthropology Foundation of Guatemala (GAFG). Ms. Stephenson called attention to the needs of families affected by mass killings and disappearances and underscored the obligation of government to address these needs.

Her words: “Families affected by such killings or disappearances usually have a diverse range of emotions, needs and priorities, such as locating the bodies of their loved ones, knowing the cause of death (right to truth), according their loved ones a burial, finding closure or ensuring justice. The skills required to fulfill these needs are multi-disciplinary, and include genetics, anthropology and psycho-social support. Forensic genetics helps in identifying the bodies when they are located and could also help in prosecution of alleged perpetrators or bringing to justice persons behind mass atrocities for the purpose of truth and justice.”

Stephenson revealed that in Guatemala, the work of the FAFG has helped to locate over 3,500 victims and to bring many people, including a former President of the country, to justice. According to her, the families and communities of victims are the real victims and the driving force behind investigations of this nature.

She warned that investigating mass killings takes time, effort and could be excruciating but is the only way that the collective dignity and humanity of both victims and survivors could be validated.

Drawing from the experience of Indian-Administered Kashmir, Khurram Parvez, a panelist and Chair of the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances stressed the obligation of government to protect its citizens and communities, pointing out that quite apart from their impact on individuals and families, mass killings also undermine bonds of coexistence and faith in institutions. Mr. Parvez explained the importance of ensuring effective documentation of such crimes even when it is not immediately evident that any prosecutions will take place. In Kashmir, he disclosed, they have worked to document over 6,700 mass killings and mass graves.

Another discussant, Abiodun Baiyewu, Executive Director of Global Rights said closure would be much easier to achieve if government were to show empathy and sincerity in investigating mass killings and bringing their perpetrators to justice. “…this is the most effective way to break the cycle of atrocities and reprisals. When this does not happen, atrocities and impunity can be said to be ‘state-backed’, “she argued

Ahmed Salkida, Editor-in-Chief, “HumAngle” and foremost conflict reporter from Nigeria, argued that mass killings and massacres will continue as long as government and its agencies neglect their primary duty which is to protect the citizens and their communities. He complained that in Nigeria, government deploys effective assets to protect property but often behaves as if its people are expendable. “The government must choose its citizens over properties”, said Mr. Salkida.

Advocate, Peter Kiama, Executive Director of Independent Medico-Legal Unit (IMLU) in Kenya, who was also a panelist at the event argued that mass killings do not occur by accident but are enabled by government policies which means that policies can also be made to curb or eradicate them. He also called attention to the need to address the trauma needs of survivors who are often affected in ways that society and government are unwilling or unable to pay attention to.

Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, who chairs International Advisory Board of the Molluma Medico-Legal Centre added that it is important for families to have closure and to be able to locate and identify the remains of their loved ones and that could be made possible if citizens and government learn to count and account for each other. Citing the examples from both Guatemala and Kashmir, Dr. Odinkalu underscored the importance for attention to detail, documentation and dignity in responding to mass killings. ‘All these require patience and time’, he said.

Participation in the lecture came from over 30 countries, including Botswana, Kenya, Nigeria, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States. They included former Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Justice K.B Akaahs, former Attorney-General of Kaduna State, Zakari Sogfa; Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Ghana at Legon, Professor Raymond Atuguba; and Head of Advocacy in Christian Solidarity World-wide (CSW), Dr. Khataza Gondwe.

Executive Director of the Molluma Medico-Legal Centre, Gloria Mabeiam Ballason, said that the 2020 lecture was necessary to empower citizens to put pressure on Nigeria’s federal government to ensure accountability for the instigators, sponsors, perpetrators, catalysts and enablers of the mass killing that now characterize the country. “These killings will not stop until no one benefits from them”, Ballason noted, concluding that Guatemala is a great example of the power in citizenship movements.

Commissioned in 2014, the Molluma Yakubu Medico-Legal Centre works to ensure accountability for victims of medical crimes and mass atrocities, and to give victims dignity even in death. The Centre is located in Kaduna, Nigeria. The 2020 lecture is the third in series.

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NBA ELECTORAL COMMITTEE FINALLY DISQUALIFIES OGUNLANA

I WILL HEAD TO COURT, SAYS FORMER IKEJA BRANCH CHAIR

Controversial NBA presidential aspirant, Mr. Adesina Ogunlana finally been  disqualified from contesting the forthcoming Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Elections, CITY LAWYER can authoritatively report.

Confirming the incident to CITY LAWYER, a close aide of Ogunlana, Mr. Ayo Ademiluyi however said the former NBA Ikeja Branch Chairman will “definitely” head to court to challenge his disqualification. He said Ogunlana will soon issue a statement on his disqualification.

He said that the Electoral Committee of the NBA (ECNBA) hinged its decision on lack of a Letter of Good Standing from the branch chairman as well as the report of the committee allegedly indicting Ogunlana on the branch insurance funds. Ogunlana has argued that the committee report was not an indictment but merely asked him to account for about N12 million of the branch insurance fund.

Other aspirants whose appeals were also unsuccessful include incumbent NBA Second Assistant Secretary Chinyere Obasi, Messrs S. O. K. Shillings and Promise Wobo Iwezor.

Confirming her disqualification in an online post to her supporters, Obasi said: “Good morning my people. I regret to inform you all that the appeal was refused. ECNBA still stood on sec 8(3) of the NBA constitution 2015 i.e. not being a NEC member for two years before the close of nomination. I thank you all for your support and prayers thus far.”

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ECNBA DISQUALIFIES OBASI, SHILLINGS AGAIN, KEEPS MUM ON OGUNLANA, OTHERS

• ELECTORAL COMMITTEE SCRIBE LOSES FATHER

The Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) may have concluded hearing of appeals from aspirants disqualified in the forthcoming NBA Elections.

There are strong indications that at least three of the appeals were unsuccessful, as the electoral committee sustained its decisions to disqualify the aspirants, including incumbent NBA Second Assistant Secretary, Miss Chinyere Obasi who was gunning for the post of Welfare Secretary, and Promise Wobo Iwezor, an aspirant for the post of Third Vice President.

Also disqualified is NBA Ikorodu Branch chieftain, Mr. S. O. K. Shillings who confirmed his disqualification to CITY LAWYER in a telephone interview. He was vying for the post of First Vice President.

CITY LAWYER gathered from impeccable sources that some of the disqualification letters dated June 25, 2020 were dispatched late last night by the electoral committee.

Several of the aspirants are yet to know their fate, including controversial NBA presidential aspirant, Mr. Adesina Ogunlana. The former NBA Ikeja Branch Chairman told CITY LAWYER that he “is hopeful” of a favourable response from the electoral committee. Incumbent NBA Assistant Publicity Secretary, Mr. Habeeb Lawal also told CITY LAWYER that he had not heard from the electoral committee at press time.

Confirming her disqualification in an online post to her supporters, Obasi said: “Good morning my people. I regret to inform you all that the appeal was refused. ECNBA still stood on sec 8(3) of the NBA constitution 2015 i.e. not being a NEC member for two years before the close of nomination. I thank you all for your support and prayers thus far.”

Meanwhile, tragedy has hit the electoral committee as CITY LAWYER gathered that its Secretary, Mrs. Cordelia Eke has lost her father. The deceased was buried during the weekend. Mrs. Eke has since resumed duty again at the ECNBA.

Another big casualty from the earlier exercise is former NBA Ikorodu Branch Chairman, Mr. Adedotun Habeeb Adetunji who was also vying for the First Vice President. He also told CITY LAWYER he had not received any feedback from the electoral committee as at press time. The fate of Gerald Abonyi, another aspirant for the post of Third Vice President, also remained unclear at press time.

The NBA Elections is now rescheduled to hold on July 29 and 30, 2020.

Please send emails to citylawyermag@gmail.com. Copyright 2020 CITY LAWYER. All materials available on this Website are protected by copyright, trade mark and other proprietary and intellectual property laws. You may not use any of our intellectual property rights without our express written consent or attribution to www.citylawyermag.com. However, you are permitted to print or save to your individual PC, tablet or storage extracts from this Website for your own personal non-commercial use.

AWOMOLO LETTER: WHAT SANs, BAR LEADERS, OTHERS ARE SAYING

Many Bar Leaders and lawyers have been weighing in on the recommendation by Chief Adegboyega Awomolo SAN that the next president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) should be sourced from the rank of senior advocates.

Aside from the presidential aspirants, many lawyers have also joined the fray in reacting to the controversial letter.

Awomolo had in a letter to former NBA President, Chief Onomigbo Okpoko SAN stated that “It will be a great failure of leadership for the senior advocates to surrender leadership to the outer bar when there are willing and able senior advocates,” urging him to convene a meeting of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN) to deliberate on the matter. Okpoko is yet to respond to the leaked letter.

Below are some of the views of Bar leaders, senior advocates and other lawyers on the letter.

KEMI PINHEIRO, SAN
Awomolo SAN expressed his personal opinion and conviction. That is a right guaranteed to everyone one. The NBA has had non SAN presidents before. So it is not going to be news if we have another pls. HEAVEN WILL NOT FALL. However those calling for a revolution should be reminded about what became of the movement to abolish the rank of SAN or the Revolution Now movement in the larger political space!!! A child who wants to become the head of the house while his father is still alive must first find out and understand how the house was built!!! More particularly those who say their candidate is opposed to parochialism must remember that the entire NBA constitution is anchored on parochialism by the zoning of offices to sections of the country and that by paying your branch dues you have subscribed to that constitution albeit parochialism!!

JIBRIN OKUTEPA, SAN
I do not think that anyone should be castigated for his or her views on an issue that the person feels too strong about. Prior to the views expressed in the letter of Chief A S Awomolo SAN on whether the position of the President of the Bar be reserved for SAN, many had expressed the views that the position should not be for only SAN. I think one of the hallmarks of democracy is the freedom of expression. There is no need for anybody to castigate Chief Awomolo SAN or those who hold contrary views. Chief Awomolo SAN has been playing leading role in bringing the members of the Bar together. As lawyers we are not bound to see things the same.

PROF. CHIDI ODINKALU
I have known and respected Asiwaju Gboyega Awomolo, SAN for long. This letter by him concerning #NBADecides2020 is at best ill-advised. The mind-set here inhabits a world of unearned privilege & entitlement with no sense of responsibility. I hope it no one takes it seriously. Any system in which a minority claim entitlement to rule over the majority has only 1 name: Apartheid.

OSAS ERHABOR
That statement by the learned Chief Awomolo is uncalled for both in terms of poor timing and context. It is very divisive and certainly not needed in the heat of campaign for the Presidency of the Bar. This also is my personal opinion.

TUNDE FAGBOHUNLU, SAN
A candidate’s qualification to lead the Bar should be a function of his/her competence and integrity. It is entirely immaterial whether he/she is or IS NOT a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.

DAME CAROL AJIE
The position of Chief Awomolo SAN that the office of the President of NBA should be the exclusive reserve of SAN is impolite and disrespects the majority. As INEC counsel defending some democratic institutions Asiwaju ought to know that majority be respected. The duties and privileges of a SAN are clearly spelt out and restricted to the courts. Period! You have a distinct group known as Body of SANs? Only SANs should lead there not in NBA. I had thought you would deal with NBA constitutional issues of rotation within the sub-region. Why do you have such disdain for the NBA Constitution? It does not restrict the office of the President to SAN?

AHMED T. UWAIS
For me this is a game changer, some years ago my dear friend Afam was disqualified simply because he was not an SAN. Its not a provision in the NBA Constitution that in order to contest and be elected the NBA President you have to be an SAN. Though it has been long since any non SAN was elected the president of NBA, in my humble view this election is not about electing an SAN or not as the right person to lead our dear profession which has been declining in terms of integrity, respect and influence in our society.

CHUKWUKA IKWUAZOM
The decision to vote a candidate as President of the Bar should not be based on the titles that the candidates bear. It should be based on an objective assessment of the character, ability, track record and programmes of each candidate. In the same manner, I disapprove of any campaign to vote for a candidate because he/she is not a senior advocate, I disapprove of the statement allegedly issued by the very respected Silk, Chief Awomolo.

OLUKAYODE ENITAN, SAN
The forthcoming NBA elections should be made a revolution that we all should ensure succeeds in bringing forth the best of us in content of character, abundance of capacity and excellent antecedents devoid of parochial and pecuniary sentiments!

ANTHONY MALIK, SAN
Mr. Gboyega Awomolo, SAN is, by any parameter, a doyen of the Bar. I respect him and appreciate his overall contributions to the Bar and the enrichment of our body of laws. Regrettably, I am unable to navigate my way through the contents of his letter. In clear terms, his letter does not enjoy my endorsement in the least. We have a Constitution which has just been amended and it serves no good importing into it what is not contained therein. If it was the desire of the Association to make the Presidency of NBA the exclusive preserve of SANs, a provision along this line would have been inserted in the Constitution.

ADEMOLA ADEWALE
This statement credited to Highly respected member of BOSAN Chief Adegboyega Awomolo SAN, is not only unfortunate but capable of boomeranging and destroying the chances of the very able and competent SANs who are in the race to become the next President of the NBA!!!!! To start with it comes across as arrogant and condescending!!!! Particularly when it is considered that most of the voting electorate is overwhelmingly non SAN!!!! So as we all await the NBA election that will lead to the emergence of the next President of the NBA, let our focus be on competence and vision of service to our great Association!!!! Not rank or status!!!!!

AFAM OSIGWE
I subscribe to the view that to attain leadership at the Bar, you do not have to be a Senior Advocate. If you are a Senior Advocate, that’s fine, if you are not, that’s also fine. If the NBA thought it was important for you to take the top job, you must be a senior Advocate, It would have put it in the NBA constitution. Since there’s no stipulation that one must be a Senior Advocate, then it’s a non-issue. To the question, “Is it imperative that one be a senior advocate to aspire to be president”, one must note that Dr Mudiaga Odjeh, Alao Aka Bashorun, Prince Bola Ajibola, Charles Idehen to name a few were NBA Presidents without taking Silk at the time of their election. And that tradition has continued to be maintained in our constitution.

GODWIN OMOAKA, SAN
I read with utter shock the letter by eminent Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo in which he argued that the office of the President of the Nigerian Bar Association should be reserved only for Senior Advocates of Nigeria. As a member of the inner bar, I strongly disagree with the views expressed by my respected leader and learned brother silk who appears to have lost touch with the current trend in the profession. The letter is, at the very least, discriminatory (it offends section 8 of the NBA Constitution), ill-thought out and clearly divisive. I see it as an attempt to pitch SANs against the majority of our colleagues in the outer bar.

AYULI JEMIDE
“It is a great failure of leadership for the Senior Advocates to surrender leadership to outer bar when there are willing and able senior advocates,” says Adegobyega Awomolo SAN. I consider this ‘inner vs outer’ notion as discriminatory.

SANNI ABBAS
The learned senior advocate has not written a letter as to the issue of welfare of lawyers, he has also not proffered an opinion on the minimum wage to be paid by senior advocates even when it is in public domain how much many senior lawyers pay lawyers (peanuts). It’s an open secret that some Silk do not even pay close to what non senior advocates are paying i.e he pays take home that is not even enough to take you home.

SILAS ONU
I was not surprised by the content, especially coming from Awomolo SAN. I must state for the sake of clarity, that I know as a fact, that so many Senior Advocates, properly so called, are not in support of the letter from Awomolo SAN and will never share his view on the NBA leadership. In the nearest future, the activism record of individual, public interest litigations and penchant for defending the right of person should be the core criteria for Bar leadership. Legal practice is different from leading the Bar. The Bar leadership requires a person who can jump in the mud with the masses to protest against abuse of human rights and unconstitutional actions of government.

KRUKRUBO AFFAIR: ‘THE REAL STORY,’ BY PORT HARCOURT BRANCH

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Port Harcourt Branch has given an official account of the controversy trailing the alleged manhandling of Mr. Tonye Krukrubo, a senior lawyer with Tier 1 law firm, Aluko & Oyebode, during a victory party to celebrate winners of the recent branch election.

In a statement made available to CITY LAWYER, the branch stated that the party was “organised by the friends of the Chairman and the Chairman of the branch in his personal capacity.”

Signed by the Branch Publicity Secretary, Precious U. Dike, the statement noted that the party “was not a gathering of NBA PH branch but a private gathering of victorious candidates,” adding that not only was the party not bankrolled by a leading NBA presidential aspirant, Mr. Olumide Akpata, “Indeed, a particular senior lawyer video recorded Mr. Akpata while felicitating with the Chairman but was called to order by a fellow lawyer to delete the videos which the senior lawyer did without any fisticuffs and nothing more.”

Earlier, former Chairman of the Branch, Mr. Victor Frank-Briggs had also countered the allegation that Krukrubo was rough-handled, saying that though he was challenged for recording Akpata, “Tonye Krukubo (sic) apologised and deleted the videos. He however expressed his displeasure in the manner in which the guest spoke to him and the guest apologised. That was the end of the story. Nothing more, nothing less.”

The full text of the press statements read:
Re: Commotion at the NBA Port Harcourt (Integrity Branch) Post Election Party: The True State of Happenstance.

The attention of the Chairman, NBA Port Harcourt branch has been drawn to the news making the rounds in various social media platforms over the above subject matter.

Ordinarily, the branch would not have bothered to dignify those who orchestrated the lies with a response but in a bid to liberate netizens and the reading public from the thraldom of malicious propaganda, we state thus:

1. The victory party organised by the friends of the Chairman and the Chairman of the branch in his personal capacity and attended by all the victorious candidates now officers of the aforesaid branch never held in Coral Reef Hotel or any other hotel, but rather in a private residence.

2. Port Harcourt branch of the Nigerian Bar Association is not and has never been known as the Integrity Branch.

3. The gathering as earlier stated was not a gathering of NBA PH branch but a private gathering of victorious candidates, sponsored by the newly elected Chairman and his friends.

4. The gathering complied in full with the established protocols of Covid 19.

5. Mr. Olumide Akpata, never did bankroll the hosting of the said party. He was in town for a private business and invited to the party at the instance of the Chairman who is his call mate and classmate at University of Benin. He did not campaign at the gathering.

6. Indeed, a particular senior lawyer video recorded Mr. Akpata while felicitating with the Chairman but was called to order by a fellow lawyer to delete the videos which the senior lawyer did without any fisticuffs and nothing more.

The general public is hereby urged to disregard the said news as it only happened in the figment of the imaginations of its peddlers.

Signed:

Precious U. Dike, Esq.
(Publicity Secretary, NBA PH Branch)

THE “UGLY SCUFFLE” IN PORT HARCOURT IS UTTER FABRICATION

My attention has been drawn to a publication in some online blogs about an “ugly scuffle” which supposedly took place at an after-party organised by The Integrity Group to celebrate the emergence of Prince Nyekwere as the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Port Harcourt Branch and the other officers.

I have received calls from well meaning members of the Bar from all over the country requesting to confirm the veracity of the report and I wish to state categorically, and for the avoidance of doubt, that nothing can be further from the truth. The report is a poorly orchestrated fabrication by mischievous elements to engineer a crisis for reasons best known to them them but they will not succeed. To set the record straight, below is the true account of what transpired:

The Port Harcourt Branch of the NBA held Branch elections on Wednesday 24 June 2020 after which Prince Nyekwere emerged as Chairman of the Branch and was sworn into office, alongside the other newly elected Branch Executive officers.

Prince and I are members of The Integrity Group and consistent with our practice in the past 6 years, The Integrity Group organised and sponsored a victory party in honour of Prince Nyekwere and the other officers. Contrary to the fabrication that the event took place at Coral Reef Hotel, Port Harcourt, the celebration took place at a private residence in GRA Phase 2, Port Harcourt, in compliance with the State’s COVID-19 directives. Furthermore, some of the guests were hosted in the sitting room while others were seated outside. The event started around 6.30pm in the evening and ended in time to enable the guests return to their homes ahead of the 10pm curfew.

Around 8pm, Olumide Akpata who was the classmate of Prince Nyekwere at the University of Benin, and who I knew was in Port Harcourt on his personal business, came to the event, at the invitation of Prince and I. In the course of the evening, the Co-Chairman of the The Integrity Group, invited Olumide Akpata, as a guest in our midst, to say a few words of congratulations to Prince Nyekwere. There was no campaigning whatsoever.

Immediately after Mr Akpata started to speak, Tonye Krukubo, a partner in the firm of Aluko & Oyebode and the Coordinator of the Babatunde Ajibade campaign in Rivers State, started recording him. Another guest at the event, a legal practitioner and not a “private investigator” as mischievously reported accosted him and asked him (i) why he was recording Olumide Akpata without his permission and (ii) what was the motive behind his sudden decision to start recording having not done so for over three hours since the event started.

Tonye Krukubo apologised and deleted the videos. He however expressed his displeasure in the manner in which the guest spoke to him and the guest apologised. That was the end of the story. Nothing more, nothing less. The only correct thing in the entire reporting was that Olumide Akpata sat calmly throughout the episode and soon after the incident, he politely took his leave.

O. V. Frank-Briggs
Past Chairman
Port Harcourt Branch

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ELECTIONS: ‘WE WILL BAN ASPIRANTS IF ….,’ SAYS ECNBA

The Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) has warned that it will not hesitate to ban aspirants who infringe the electoral guidelines issued for the forthcoming NBA Elections.

In a statement issued yesterday and signed by ECNBA Chairman, Mr. Tawo Eja Tawo SAN, the electoral committee stated that it “is closely monitoring and observing the activities and conduct of the aspirants and their supporters” regarding the constitutional prohibition of certain forms of campaigns, warning them to desist from acts that infringe the guidelines.

In an ominous note, the committee noted that “no aspirant or candidate has been granted final clearance to contest the elections,” adding that “any violation shall attract appropriate sanctions.”

The committee has also shifted the date for opening of the ballot by almost one week from July 24 to July 30 to enable it conclude a clean-up of the troubled voters register.

Following complaints on the hardships being experienced by eligible voters in participating in the verification exercise, the ECNBA has also provided some hotlines to assist voters.

CITY LAWYER had in an inaugural editorial warned that many eligible voters may be disenfranchised due to the complex verification model, urging the electoral committee to closely monitor the process and provide a Help Desk to assist lawyers who are eager to exercise their voting right.

The full text of the ECNBA statement reads:

VOTERS REGISTER, CAMPAIGNS AND ELECTION DATE.

1.0 PREAMBLE.

By the Preliminary Notice of Election dated April 15, 2020 and the Guidelines and Timeliness for the 2020 NBA National Officers Elections issued pursuant to Paragraph 1.5 of the 2nd schedule to the Constitution of the Nigerian Bar association, 2015 (as amended), the ECNBA fixed Friday the 24th day of July 2020 and Saturday the 25th day of July 2020 for the elections.

With that date in view, the Committee worked assiduously by keeping members informed of its activities, began the compilation of the register of voters to be deployed for the elections, invited and rigorously screened nominations for the offices to be contested in the 2020 NBA Election.

1.1 VOTERS REGISTER
There is no gainsaying the fact that correct voters register is very critical to free, fair and credible elections. For this purpose, the ECNBA by its correspondence (ECNBA Statements No.003 & 004) solicited the cooperation of the NBA branches in sending the list of their members and in the prescribed format to enable the Committee compile a comprehensive voters’ register to be used for the elections to ensure that our members are not disenfranchised. Surprisingly, the list of some branches contained names of members without proof of payments or whose names were not on the statement of accounts sent as proof of payments of branch dues. Notwithstanding the efforts of the Committee, some branches were either not forthcoming or their responses were inordinately delayed thus putting their members at risk of not being included in the compilation of the voters register for these important elections. The ECNBA granted extensions of time to ensure compliance by the defaulting branches and to have their members captured in the compilation. Unfortunately this opportunity was not leveraged upon; instead, the Committee has been inundated with several complaints by members that should ordinarily be addressed by the branches. The Committee has had to bend over backward within the confines of the NBA Constitution to attend to as many of the complaints as it possibly can. This, no doubt has affected the initial timeliness set by the Committee for the elections of the National Officers of the Association.

CAMPAIGNS.
The ECNBA is closely monitoring and observing the activities and conduct of the aspirants and their supporters regarding the constitutional prohibition of certain forms of campaigns as contained in the ECNBA Guidelines for the 2020 NBA Elections. We advise the aspirants and their supporters to desist from any form of unwholesome desperation and the seeming penchant to deride or disregard the election guidelines as any violation shall attract appropriate sanctions. NOTE no aspirant or candidate has been granted final clearance to contest the elections.

1.3. ELECTION DATE.
In exercise of the powers conferred on the ECNBA by Paragraphs 1.1(b) and 1.3(a), of the 2nd schedule to the Constitution of the Nigerian Bar Association, 2015 (as amended) the Committee has now fixed another date for the elections of national officers of the Association. Elections shall commence at 00:00 hours of Wednesday the 29th day of July 2020 and end at 11:59 hours of Thursday the 30th day of July 2020.

Members who are yet to undertake the verification of their particulars on the NBA website are advised to do so without further delay. Members are required to activate their personal portal on the website upon verification not later than the 15th day of July 2020.

A support system which will become operational from Monday the 29th day of June 2020 is being set up with the following dedicated lines 08168011579, 08165374194, 08165037594 and 08167181605 email: support@nigerianbar.org.ng

1.4 CONCLUSION.
The ECNBA is committed to all-inclusive, free, fair, and credible elections. The adjustment in the date for the elections by this notice is to enable our members participate in the choice of the leadership of their association. The Committee expresses profound appreciation to all who have assisted in the discharge of its mandate in one way or the other and solicits the cooperation of all our esteemed members for the success of this democratic process.

Dated this 27th day of June 2020.
Tawo E. Tawo
Chairman, ECNBA

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SANship: AKPATA, OGUNLANA FAULT AWOMOLO, ADESINA SPEAKS

More aspirants have condemned the call by Bar leader, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo SAN that the next president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) should be sourced from the rank of senior advocates.

Awomolo had in a letter to former NBA President, Chief Onomigbo Okpoko SAN stated that “It will be a great failure of leadership for the senior advocates to surrender leadership to the outer bar when there are willing and able senior advocates,” urging him to convene a meeting of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN) to deliberate on the matter. Okpoko is yet to respond to the leaked letter.

One of the presidential aspirants, Dr. Babatunde Ajibade SAN had earlier dissociated himself from the call, saying that “The focus should be on the character, capacity and antecedents of persons who aspire to lead our profession and not on their title or rank.”

While Mr. Dele Adesina SAN did not issue any direct response to the controversial letter, he had prior to the publication of the letter and as a part of his law series, written an article which spoke to the issue. Titled “Insights: A Bar For All,” he wrote: “As a firm believer in the objectives of the Nigerian Bar Association and the role it plays to its members and the community, I believe our Association is at a critical point in history where unity of purpose and synergy among lawyers is in desperate need.

“As such it is not a time for members to instigate division either among the senior members of the Bar and juniors or among the Senior Advocates and Non – Senior Advocates. I believe as members of the NBA, the Association is for the benefit of all members irrespective of position or ilk.

“The Leadership of NBA must always ensure strategic collaboration between the NBA, its Sections, Forums and other bodies such as the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Law Officers Association of Nigeria, Law Teachers Association of Nigeria, Association of Lawyers with Disabilities in Nigeria, Christian Lawyers Fellowship of Nigeria (CLASFON), Muslim Lawyers Association of Nigeria (MULAN) and ‘Federación Internacional dé Abogadas’ a.k.a. ‘International Federation of Women Lawyers’, Capital Markets Solicitors, and any other interest groups among us.

“Our Association must continue to be a pillar of support and strength for the specialised bodies and individuals in pursuit of their goals and objectives. We must also resist any and all efforts to cause a division among our ranks, if the NBA must remain relevant, active and successful in its role.”

In a terse response on his verified Twitter handle, another presidential aspirant, Mr. Olumide Akpata said: “I have a lot of respect for the rank of SAN & I encourage those who aspire to it. But this letter by Awomolo SAN is a disservice to all lawyers who want a better Bar.” 

On his part, Mr. Adesina Ogunlana, another presidential aspirant who was disqualified by the Electoral Committee of the NBA (ECNBA), in a broadcast on his verified Facebook handle described the letter as “extremely amusing,” adding however that the Bar leader “is entitled to his opinion.” Ogunlana has petitioned the ECNBA over his disqualification.

Hinting that the kernel of Awomolo’s “lamentations” is a quest to “protect the interest of his class”, he stated that Awomolo’s era “generally have failed this country. They have not added value most of the time – good value. They have failed us; it is a failed generation. They are used to privilege. He has not advanced merit in canvassing (Chief) T. J. O. Okpoko.”

He discredited Awomolo’s assertion that all NBA presidents since its rebirth from the 1992 Port Harcourt debacle have all been senior advocates, noting that Chief Lanke Odogiyan completed the tenure of Chief Bayo Ojo SAN.

He said that Awomolo has “exposed the inner thinking, inner workings and the pains and anguish of people they call Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, that there is a concerted effort to keep the leadership and all the things that connect to that leadership of the NBA in their ranks.”

Saying that this may explain why all the NBA committees at the national level are headed by SANs, Ogunlana added that “There is a clear intention given by the monopolistic hold of the senior advocates on the NBA that they are the repository of wisdom, that they are the repository of intellectual knowledge.”

He distinguished between the association and the profession, adding that the Bar leader has not only shown that he “is not a democrat,” but is advocating gerontocracy and plutocracy. Describing the rank of senior advocate as “fraudulent,” he stated that any move to amend the NBA Constitution to reserve the position of NBA president for only senior advocates “will be resisted.”

He stated that the issue of leadership of the association “should not be whether the aspirant is a senior advocate or not. “It should be, is this person competent? Does he have the know-how? What is the programme and what can he do? That is the issue?” He stated that voters should cast their ballots for either SANs or non-SANs based on their competence.

Describing Awomolo’s letter as “a gross insult to himself,” Ogunlana stated that the Bar leader has “betrayed that he doesn’t understand and accept democracy for what it is.”

Awomolo’s letter read: “Since you (Okpoko) became the president of the reformed NBA in 1998, and to avoid what happened in Port Harcourt in 1992, all successors to the office of the president have been senior advocates of Nigeria.”

“With respect, I believe you need to urgently call a meeting of the past presidents of the NBA and do all within your powers to preserve the integrity, honour and respectability of the office of the president of the NBA,” Awomolo said.

“What I hear is an unannounced but powerful and potent revolutionary move by our junior colleagues who are very much in larger numbers to wrestle the office of the NBA from the rank of SAN.

“That, in my view will be unfortunate for the rank. To the members of the public a ridicule of the rank and office of the president of the NBA.”

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NBA PRESIDENCY: AJIBADE COUNTERS AWOMOLO ON SANship

  • SAYS FOCUS SHOULD BE ON CHARACTER AND CAPACITY

One of the leading aspirants for the presidency of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Babatunde Ajibade SAN has disagreed sharply with the position of Chief Adegboyega Awomolo SAN on his call for position to be retained within the rank of senior advocates.

Awomolo had in a letter to former NBA President, Chief Onomigbo Okpoko SAN called for a meeting of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN) to deliberate on the matter.

But in a trending post on social media, Ajibade, a senior advocate, disagreed, saying that “The focus should be on the character, capacity and antecedents of persons who aspire to lead our profession and not on their title or rank.”

The full text reads:

THE OFFICE OF PRESIDENT OF THE NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION IS NOT THE EXCLUSIVE PRESERVE OF SENIOR ADVOCATES OF NIGERIA – DR. BABATUNDE AJIBADE, SAN

My attention has been drawn to a statement made by Asiwaju Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN in which he suggests that the office of President of the Nigerian Bar Association is the exclusive preserve of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs).

I respectfully disagree with this position. There is nothing contained in the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Constitution or in the history of the NBA to support this assertion.

There is near unanimous agreement that one of the most popular and effective Presidents the NBA has had is Late Alao Aka-Basorun and the NBA has had other non-SAN Presidents since.

The focus should be on the character, capacity and antecedents of persons who aspire to lead our profession and not on their title or rank.

There are serious challenges facing the profession at this time and we need to unite the profession in order to effectively address them.

Dr Babatunde Ajibade, SAN, FCIArb.

NBA PRESIDENTIAL ASPIRANTS WOO IGBO LAWYERS

Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) presidential aspirants stormed the meeting of Igbo lawyers yesterday to felicitate with the members and express their intention to vie for the presidency of the Bar. Also present at the meeting were some aspirants for the post of General Secretary.

Among the presidential aspirants who attended the virtual monthly meeting of Otu Oka Iwu (Law Society) are Mr. Dele Adesina SAN, Dr. Babatunde Ajibade SAN and Mr. Olu Akpata.

The first to be admitted into the meeting was Adesina. He thanked the leadership of the law society for the opportunity. Turning to judicial corruption, he noted that it is condemnable, adding however that only a negligible number of judges engage in such misfeasance. He stated that the entire judiciary should not be tarred with the brush of its few bad eggs. Emphasizing the need to empower young lawyers, Adesina stated that he would unveil his roadmap in this regard when the ban on campaigns is lifted by the Electoral Committee of the NBA (ECNBA).

The next available aspirant, Akpata told the Otu members that welfare is critical for every lawyer, adding that he would also place premium on health insurance. Harping on his track record as Chairman of NBA Section on Business Law (NBA-SBL), Akpata stated that he “came with credentials.” He stated that aside from disciplining of lawyers, he would foster the administration of justice while ensuring that every lawyer who has a brush with law enforcement agencies is offered legal defence.

On his part, Ajibade expressed worry at the divisions within NBA circles. He vowed to cement the cracks as well as “get the justice sector working again.” Noting that young lawyers should be the focus of NBA, Ajibade said that he has the unique privilege of combining the skills and practical knowledge of a solicitor and advocate, having been engaged in both transactional and litigation practice at relatively high levels.

Coming on the heels of engaging interactions between the members and the aspirants, Chief Chuks Ikokwu, President of Otu Oka Iwu, thanked the aspirants for finding it worthy to felicitate with the law society, and wished them well in their aspiration to lead Africa’s largest Bar.

Among the aspirants for the post of General Secretary who also attended the virtual meeting are Mr. Alex Muoka and Mrs. Joyce Oduah, both members of the law society.

The NBA National Elections is scheduled to hold on July 24 and 25, 2020 through electronic voting.

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EDITORIAL: NBA ELECTIONS 2020 – OF OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) 2020 National Elections will hold barely 28 days from today. In fact, Paragraph 2.3 (d) of the Second Schedule to the NBA Constitution 2015 (as amended) provides that “The full list of all legal practitioners qualified to vote shall be published by ECNBA in conjunction with the National Secretariat of the NBA at least twenty eight (28) days before the date of the election.” The poll is scheduled to hold on July 24 and 25, 2020 via electronic voting. Continue Reading

‘WE’VE NOT SET VOTER VERIFICATION DEADLINE,’ SAYS TAWO TAWO

• …. MIXED REACTIONS GREET EXERCISE
• “MY EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN TERRIBLE,” SAYS FUNKE ADEKOYA
• … WARNS THAT MANY ELIGIBLE VOTERS WILL BE DISENFRANCHISED

The Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) has declared that it has not set any deadline for the ongoing verification exercise, contrary to speculations that verification was billed to end yesterday.

ECNBA Chairman, Mr. Tawo Eja Tawo SAN told CITY LAWYER that the committee has not decided on when to draw the curtains on the exercise.

Speaking on whether a deadline has been set to conclude the verification process, he said pointedly: “There is none yet.” The electoral umpire was also at a loss as to the source of the speculation, saying: “I wonder the origin of the confusion.”

The frenzy may not be unconnected with certain posts on social media platforms suggesting that yesterday was the deadline for the verification exercise.

A post trended on several social media platforms yesterday urging lawyers to make haste to verify their personal details on the NBA website. It stated that only 48 hours was allowed for the exercise, adding that it would end by 6 pm. The post read: “Today is the deadline for all eligible lawyers to verify their details on the NBA Website. Visit https://nigerianbar.org.ng/membership-portal. #Securethefuture.”

Another version of the post which was sent to lawyers via short messaging service (SMS) read: “Dear (name of receiver), The ECNBA has released the 2nd List of Voters. Kindly verify that your details are correct. If they are not, send the correct details with proof of payment to ecnba2020@nigerianbar.ng not later than 6pm on 23/06/20. You can verify via https://nigerianbar.org.ng/membership-portal.” The message came under the “BULK SMS” banner.

The information caused anxiety among lawyers, leading to many making frantic efforts to verify their details.

CITY LAWYER investigations show that the speculation may also not be unconnected with the ECNBA press statement unveiling its second provisional voters list where it stated that “Those whose names are omitted are expected to send their details with proof of payment of Branch Dues within 48 hours of this publication to the account ecnba2020@nigerianbar.ng. Please note that any mails or messages sent after 6PM on Tuesday 23rd June 2020 will not be attended to.”

Given that the verification process was heralded by the press statement, many stakeholders may have assumed that the deadline was for both the compilation and verification exercises.

Meanwhile, there has been mixed reactions regarding the verification exercise. While some lawyers said that the process was stress-free, others seem to have had a herculean task navigating the verification process on the NBA website.

One of those who had a tough time engaging the process is former NBA presidential candidate, Mrs. Funke Adekoya SAN. She told CITY LAWYER that her experience was “terrible.” Her words: “My experience has been terrible. I was verified before but forgot password; so I sent ‘forgot password’ message. I have been waiting for password reset email since yesterday (Monday). I received email this (Tuesday) morning and accessed link – it says password cannot be reset. I sent email to NBA Secretariat 4 hours ago – still no response!”

In an early morning SOS to CITY LAWYER, Mr. Augustine Ogbodo said: “I don’t know if you have any clue on verification of membership on the NBA portal. I have been trying to log in to the portal to verify my membership but have not been successful. I tried reaching NBA via telephone but wasn’t successful.”

Immediately CITY LAWYER escalated the SOS on some social media platforms, there was a flurry of responses both from the ECNBA and the NBA leadership. While the NBA publicity team uploaded several versions of the verification process on sundry social media platforms, the ECNBA Secretary, Mrs. Cordelia Eke advised eligible voters who have challenges with the verification process to “contact the NBA IT staff in charge.”

She added: “A lot of phone calls (are) coming (in). They may not be able to take all. We advise people to send emails. It’s easier to track and treat complaints that way.” She assured that she “will ask the IT staff to look into this (complaint).” She later stated that “Members’ complaints about the website have been forwarded to NBA IT to handle.”

When CITY LAWYER asked Ogbodo to provide more details on his challenges with the verification process, he said: “I was prompted to supply new password and to confirm same. I did so but was again prompted to insert the correct format.” He then requested the “contact or email of the IT staff?” adding: “Thanks so much for your efforts. I have sent them an email. Waiting for their response. I sent the email to support@nigerianbar.org.ng as indicated.”

Unlike NBA Lagos Branch Welfare Secretary, Anthonia Eke who stated that “I had a seamless process updating my data on the verification portal of the NBA,” both Adekoya and Ogbodo eventually surmounted the verification hurdles.

Said Adekoya: “(I) Have finally been verified! A 24 hour process. With WFH (working from home), even if you have been verified (as I have) if you do not have an ‘active’ profile on the NBA website, you are unlikely to be able to vote. An ‘active’ profile means you interact with the NBA through your portal on the NBA website. (It is) Not the same as being verified.”

On his part, Ogbodo told CITY LAWYER that “This is what I have been missing. I have been trying to put the password without inserting figures and special number. (I) Have just done the needful and Password successfully reset. Thanks for your assistance.”

Worried that many lawyers may be disenfranchised by the verification model adopted by the ECNBA, Adekoya predicted a very low voter turnout in the 2020 NBA Elections. her words: “(I) Will be surprised if up to 3000 voters receive voting link from NBA website.”

CITY LAWYER also observed that the ECNBA press statement was silent on the details of any Help Desk or help lines for eligible voters who may have challenges with the verification process.

It is recalled that while 32, 228 eligible voters were on the provisional voters register for the 2018 NBA Elections, only 16,825 or 52.21 per cent of the eligible voters were able to scale the verification hurdle. Analysts have observed that the 2018 verification process is more straightforward than the current exercise, leading to fears that even fewer eligible voters may get their names on the final voters register.

Please send emails to citylawyermag@gmail.com. Copyright 2020 CITY LAWYER. All materials available on this Website are protected by copyright, trade mark and other proprietary and intellectual property laws. You may not use any of our intellectual property rights without our express written consent or attribution to www.citylawyermag.com. However, you are permitted to print or save to your individual PC, tablet or storage extracts from this Website for your own personal non-commercial use.

NBA ELECTIONS: LAGOS, ABUJA, IKEJA, PH ARE BATTLE-GROUND BRANCHES

• 34, 418 ELIGIBLE VOTERS MAKE SECOND LIST
• ECNBA OKAYS VOTER VERIFICATION EXERCISE

Some Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) branches have maintained their rating as battle-ground branches in NBA National Elections, given the latest voter registration list published by the Electoral Committee of the NBA (ECNBA) in the run-up to the 2020 polls.

Following release of the second provisional voters’ list for the elections by the electoral umpire, Lagos Branch maintains its pole-vault position as by far the branch with the largest number of voters in NBA circles. It has 6,722 members on the voters’ register. Continue Reading

NBA PRESIDENCY: 31 SANs BACK AJIBADE TO WIN

BY EMEKA NWADIOKE

The political fortunes of Dr. Babatunde Ajibade SAN in the forthcoming Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) National Elections received a major boost at the weekend with over 30 senior advocates throwing their illustrious weights behind his quest to lead Africa’s largest Bar. The NBA National Elections is scheduled to hold on 24th and 25th July, 2020 via electronic voting.

As at this weekend, no less than 31 Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) have pitched their tent with Ajibade. Leading the pack of the first set of endorsements is eminent lawyer and former Attorney General of Lagos State, Prof. A. B. Kasunmu, SAN who described Ajibade as “someone who has a passion for both the law and the profession; a lawyer with integrity and a gentleman, who subtly but effectively upholds the true ethos of the profession.”

On his part, renowned lawyer, Mr. Ebun Sofunde SAN said of the NBA presidential aspirant: “In these trying times for the bar and bench, I see Dr. Ajibade as a person who will do his utmost to restore pride and dignity to the bar and bench by ensuring that such virtues as (a) integrity (b) diligence and (c) merit are enthroned at all times. I also see him as a person who will fight for the welfare of the bar and bench and promote a smooth relationship between the bar and bench.”

Said Mrs. Funke Adekoya SAN, NBA former 1st Vice-President and former presidential: “I find Dr. Ajibade to be courteous and with the personal attributes that describe a gentleman. He is known in both international and domestic legal circles and is an acknowledged leader in both. Within Nigeria he is an active member of committees of both the NBA Section on Legal Practice as well as Section on Business Law. He is a past President of the Capital Markets Solicitors Association. In the international arena he is a member of the ICC’s Africa Commission, and the IBA’s African Regional Forum Advisory Board. I support his candidacy because in my opinion he is the best bridge between the younger and older members of the profession.”

Perhaps the icing on the cake was an endorsement by Ajibade’s peers comprising a group of 14 senior advocates who were his 1989 classmates at the Nigerian Law School. In a statement made available to CITY LAWYER, the senior lawyers said they have known Ajibade “for over 30 years and can confidently attest to his character, integrity, humility, experience, brilliance and hard work in the legal profession, which led him to achieve the honour of being the first person to be elevated to the rank of SAN from the 1989 NLS Class.”

According to them, aside from the fact that he has over the years “been highly involved in Continuing Legal Education and other programmes that provide mentorship for young lawyers,” his wealth of experience in leadership “will help reposition the NBA as an effective and efficient world-class Association for the benefit of the different intra professional groups of lawyers under its membership and the growth and development of our great country, Nigeria.”

Aside from Kasunmu who took silk in 1979, other lawyers who endorsed Ajibade include Mr. Ebun Sofunde SAN, Mr. Kayode Sofola SAN, Prof. Gabriel A. Olawoyin SAN, Mrs. Funke Adekoya SAN, Mr. Bambo Adesanya SAN, Mr. Dolapo Akinrele SAN, Mr. Babatunde Fagbohunlu SAN, Prof. Andrew Chukwuemerie SAN, Mrs. Titi Akinlawon SAN, Mr. Folu Oguntade SAN, Mr. Oluwemimo Ogunde SAN, Mr. Abiodun Jelili Owonikoko SAN, Mr. Segun Ajibola SAN and Mr. Rotimi Jacobs SAN.

Others are Mr. Teslim Olatunde Busari SAN, Dr. Adewale Olawoyin SAN, Dr. Kayode Olatoke SAN, Mr. Olatunde Adejuyigbe SAN, Mr. Adeniyi Adegbonmire SAN, Dr. Muiz Banire SAN, Mr. Emeka Etiaba SAN, Mr. Olasheni Ibiwoye SAN, Mr. A. U. Mustapha SAN, Mr. Emeka Okpoko SAN, Mr. Adeyemi Kamaldeen Ajibade SAN, Mr. Olayode Delano SAN, Mr. Olumide Aju SAN, Mr. Olukayode Enitan SAN, Mr. Essien Andrew SAN, and Mr. Oladipo Olasope SAN.

Please send emails to citylawyermag@gmail.com. Copyright 2020 CITY LAWYER. All materials available on this Website are protected by copyright, trade mark and other proprietary and intellectual property laws. You may not use any of our intellectual property rights without our express written consent or attribution to www.citylawyermag.com. However, you are permitted to print or save to your individual PC, tablet or storage extracts from this Website for your own personal non-commercial use.

‘THE PLATFORM’ CANCELS NBA PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE

BY EMEKA NWADIOKE

SAYS ‘WE WILL KEEP YOU INFORMED ON ANY NEW DEVELOPMENTS’

The Platform Nigeria has formally canceled its planned “interactive session” with Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) presidential candidates in line with the disapproval of the programme by the Electoral Committee of the NBA (ECNBA). However, the promotional website for the aborted programme had not been pulled down at press time.

An email to prospective participants which originated from the Convener/Visioner of The Platform Nigeria, Pastor Poju Oyemade, gave no reason for the cancellation. He however assured participants that “We will keep you informed on any new developments.”

Oyemade, the avant-garde Pastor of the mega church, Covenant Christian Centre (CCC), had in an earlier tweet on his verified Twitter handle, invited the public to the now aborted presidential debate, saying: “This Sunday @theplatformnigeria will be holding interactive sessions with the three candidates for the post of the President of the Nigerian Bar Association. #nbadecides2020.” He has not tweeted on the cancellation at press time. The Platform Nigeria is a popular speaking podium which has hosted some of Nigeria’s leading technocrats including the Nigeria’s Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN).

The ECNBA had in an email obtained by CITY LAWYER warned the presidential candidates against featuring in the virtual “interactive session,” saying it breached the NBA Constitution and “does not meet with the approval of the ECNBA.”

In response to the ECNBA directive, one of the presidential candidates, Mr. Olu Akpata formally withdrew from the interactive session, citing the email received from the electoral body. In a notice that trended on several social media platforms, he said: “Please note that in compliance with an email notice received from the ECNBA, Olumide Akpata will not be participating in the Platform interactive session billed for the 19th of July 2020 or any other debate or interactive session involving more any other candidate.

“We thank the organisers of the Platform interactive session for the work that they have put into organising the session, and hope that they and members of the public understand with us.”

It was unclear at press time whether the other presidential candidates issued any formal statements withdrawing from the programme, even as CITY LAWYER had reported that one of the candidates may have planned to shun the interactive session.

CITY LAWYER had predicted that the ECNBA would come down heavily on the aborted interactive session when it revealed plans by the electoral body to take decisive steps to stem what it perceived as serial disobedience to its earlier directives on campaigns.
Below is an email cancelling one of the planned sessions:

Poju Oyemade <no-reply@zoom.us>
9:01 AM (14 hours ago)
to (NAME)

Good morning,

The webinar “Join Deacon Dele Adesina SAN in an interactive session on his vision and plans for the Nigeria Bar Association” on Jul 19, 2020, 03:00 PM has been canceled.

The Platform Nigeria wants to thank you for registering. We will keep you informed on any new developments.

Thank you

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OGUNLANA APPEALS DISQUALIFICATION, BLAMES IKEJA CHAIR FOR WOES

BY EMEKA NWADIOKE

Controversial Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) presidential aspirant, Mr. Adesina Ogunlana has made good his resolve to challenge his disqualification by the Electoral Committee of the NBA.

Ogunlana, the Convener of the Radical Agenda Movement in the Nigerian Bar Association (RAMINBA), blamed outgoing NBA Ikeja Branch Chairman, Mr. Dele Oloke for his woes, saying that the “failure of the Chairman of the NBA Ikeja Branch to issue me the Letter duly applied for within time and in compliance with constitutional provisions is absolutely reprehensible , grossly oppressive and a brazen and violent breach of the Constitution of the Association and a reckless, malicious abuse of the powers of the Nigerian Bar Association.”

Attached to the appeal are Oloke’s reply to his application for Letter of Good Standing, Ogunlana’s Letter of Reply to Oloke’s refusal letter and his Letter to ECNBA Chairman.

Please see details below:

OGUNLANA ADESINA ADEMOLA ESQ.

Phone- 08034854066 Email- thesquiblawjournal@yahoo.com
185, PALMGROVE, IKORODU ROAD, LAGOS.

17th June, 2020

The Chairman,
Electoral Committee of Nigerian Bar Association,
NBA House,
Plot 1101, Central Business District,
Abuja,
Federal Capital Territory.

THROUGH:
The Secretary,
Electoral Committee of Nigerian Bar Association

Dear Sir,
APPEAL AGAINST DISQUALIFICATION OF OGUNLANA ADESINA ADEMOLA FROM CONTESTING THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION
I received the e-Letter of your Committee dated 12th June, 2020 entitled “Notice of Disqualification from Contesting Election, Re: Office of The President of the Nigerian Bar Association and signed by the Secretary on the 13th day of June, 2020.
I take the liberty to reproduce same here:
“June 12th, 2020

Mr. Adesina Ogunlana,
NBA,
Ikeja Branch

 

NOTICE OF DISQUALIFICATION FROM CONTESTING ELECTION
RE: OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE NBA

TAKE NOTICE that upon the perusal and screening of your nomination form with the accompanying documents by a Sub-Committee of the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) constituted for that purpose, it was discovered that you do not have a letter of good standing from your Branch as required by the ECNBA Election Guidelines with respect to nomination of candidates, made pursuant to the Constitution of the Nigerian Bar Association 2015 (as amended).

You have therefore been found not qualified to contest election to the office of the President of the Nigerian Bar Association in the 2020 National Officers Election of the Association.

Note further that you have a right of Appeal exercisable within seven (7) days of receipt of this Notice.

Any letter or notice of Appeal should be addressed to the Chairman, ECNBA and sent to the Committee Secretary via email to : ecnba2020@gmail.com , not later than 4.00 PM on the 7th day subsequent to the date or receipt of this mail.

Cordelia U. Eke (Mrs.)
Secretary, ECNBA”

 

Being utterly dissatisfied with the verdict of your Committee, I hereby appeal same, asking for a reversal and qualifying me to participate in the election in issue.

You will kindly recall, Sir, that my bundle of Nomination Forms including documents pertaining to myself as Candidate, Dare Akande as Nominator and Lateef Abdulsalam as Seconder sent over to you numbered 81 pages. I hereby attach all earlier documents forwarded to you, except my Nomination forms , my Nominator’s forms , receipts and letter of good standing and my Seconder’s forms, receipts and letter of good standing, which are as follows:

1.Adesina Ogunlana’s Bar Practising Fees and Branch Dues paid as and when due for 2018, 2019 and 2020.

2. Letter to Chairman, ECNBA by Adesina Ogunlana, Prospective Candidate for Office of NBA President dated 29/5/2020 with the following attachments:
i. E-mail by Adesina Ogunlana to Dele Oloke Esq., Chairman , NBA Ikeja Branch
ii. Whatsapp Messages of Adesina Ogunlana to Dele Oloke Esq., Chairman, NBA Ikeja Branch
iii. Charge Sheet

3. (A)Chairman and Secretary , NBA Ikeja Branch’s letter to Adesina Ogunlana dated 25/5/2020

(B) Letter to Adesina Ogunlana dated 29/5/2020 in reply to Letter of Chairman , NBA Ikeja Branch dated 25/5/2020 with the following attachments:
i. NBA Ikeja Branch Insurance Committee’s Final Reports
ii. Adesina Ogunlana’s Response to NBA Ikeja Branch’s Insurance Committee’s Final Report
iii. Letter of Mr. Adesina Ogunlana to Chairman NBA Ikeja Branch for application for Letter of Good Standing dated 22nd day of May , 2020
iv. Letter of Reminder of Mr. Adesina Ogunlana to Chairman NBA Ikeja Branch for Letter of Good Standing dated 26th May , 2020

It can easily be gleaned from your said letter of 12th June, 2020 to me that your Committee based its decision to disqualify me from the election on the sole basis that a Letter of Good Standing from the Chairman of my Branch was not found in my bundle of Application papers.

However, as you will recall, I had at the earliest opportunity and within time allowed for the submission of Nomination forms (May 29, 2020) , informed and alerted your good office to the STRANGE AND UNCONSTITUTIONAL reason for the absence of the letter in question, to wit that Mr. Dele Oloke, the Chairman of the Ikeja Branch decided not to issue to me a Letter of Good Standing despite that to his notice and knowledge, I am in full compliance with the provisions of the Constitution guiding the issuance of Letters of Good Standing .

I respectfully reproduce the said Paragraph 4 of Part 1 of the 3rd Schedule to the Constitution of the Nigerian Bar Association 2015 (as amended) inter alia :

“4. Good Standing

A member is in good standing and, if he so desires shall be entitled to a certification of that status signed by the Chairman of the Branch if

(1) In addition to this Bar Practising Fees, he has paid his Annual Dues and all other financial obligations to the Branch as and when due for at least the immediate preceding three years, unless he was enrolled or and relocated to the states where the Branch is situate when a shorter period which shall then be the threshold point instead of three years; and
(2) He or she has in the past one year in question participated in at least three or more activities of the Branch, including attendance at Branch meeting or the sponsorship thereof. Provided that one or more of these requirements may be waived upon proof of temporary relocation to a place outside in the state where the Branch is situate and or serious and prolonged illness.”

By Dele Oloke’s letter to me, dated 25th May, 2020 , but received on 28th May, 2020, particularly in paragraph 6, he highlighted the major reason why he would not issue Letter of Good Standing to me, to wit:

“6. At the Monthly Meeting of Nigerian Bar Association, Ikeja Branch held at its Secretariat (THE BAR CENTRE) on Monday, 2nd December, 2019 and upon the consideration of the reports of the Insurance Committee of the branch, the following resolution was made:
a. That Mr. Adesina Ogunlana, Mr. Yinka Farounbi, Mrs. Derin Kappo and all persons indicted by the report of the Insurance Committee and to whom monies were traced from the insurance funds of NBA Ikeja Branch , not being an insurance company, should return all such monies within 30 days from the date of the resolution.
b. That till now, you have treated the Branch with disdain and arrogance and have failed to refund the sum of eleven million six hundred and fifty thousand naira (N11, 650,000.00) withdrawn by you from the Branch’s insurance account into your personal account.

In view of the aforesaid reason the Branch is unable to issue a Letter of Good Standing to you and we also urge you to respect the Branch’s resolution mandating you to refund the Branch’s money unlawfully converted to your own use”

Sir, I respectfully ask your Committee, are these reasons good in law, in view of Paragraph 4 of Part 1 of the 3rd Schedule to the Constitution of the Nigerian Bar Association 2015 (as amended) to deny me a Letter of Good Standing?

You will clearly see the strenuous extent I went debunking Oloke’s baseless and malicious allegations in the attachments to the letters I sent over to you, especially to wit, the Report of the Insurance Committee (which never claimed that I converted the Branch funds), My Response to the Report of the Insurance Committee and the Charge Sheet in Charge Number ID/9472C/2019., FGN v. ADESINA OGUNLANA & 2 ORS ( to show that Oloke’s interesting objection is on a “subject matter sub judice before the Courts).

I submit respectfully further as follows:

a. The absence of a Letter of Good Standing for me from my Branch Chairman, in my Application Forms is not due to any fault or negligence on my part as I duly paid all requisite fees (Bar Practising Fees and Branch Dues) as and when due for 2018, 2019 and 2020 and I had attended functions of the Branch more than three times in the past one year.

b. That I duly applied to the office saddled with the responsibility of Letter of
Good Standing within time.

c. The refusal and failure of the Chairman to issue me a Letter of Good Standing was malicious, deliberate and not on account of any failure on my part to comply with Paragraph 4 of Part 1 of the 3rd Schedule to the Constitution of the Nigerian Bar Association 2015 (as amended).

My further submission on this Appeal is that in the circumstances of this case, your Committee would be in the right to hold that Ogunlana Adesina Ademola, my humble self, is entitled to be issued a Letter of Good Standing from the Ikeja Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association and the refusal and failure of the Chairman of the NBA Ikeja Branch to issue me the Letter duly applied for within time and in compliance with constitutional provisions is absolutely reprehensible , grossly oppressive and a brazen and violent breach of the Constitution of the Association and a reckless, malicious abuse of the powers of the Nigerian Bar Association.

In the unlikely event that your Honourable Committee fails to uphold my appeal, I submit as follows that a refusal of this Appeal will only mean as follows:

a. That the Committee has construed the office of Chairman of a Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association as a “CONSENTING AUTHORITY” to and on the eligibility of members of his Branch to contest for National Offices of the Association. It would mean where a Branch Chairman for no just and legal reasons refrain or refuse to issue to a Candidate or Aspirant, Letter of Good Standing or issuing same out of time to affect the eligibility of such a candidate, the Electoral Committee will disqualify such a candidate.

I submit with greatest respect that this cannot be the true and acceptable interpretation of the power and status of the Chairman vis the issuance of Letter of Good Standing. The Constitution, truly makes the Branch Chairman, the ISSUING OFFICE of the Letter of Good Standing but the same Constitution by expressly defining entitlement to receipt of Letter of Good Standing, as shown earlier, has circumscribed the powers of the Chairman in this regard from that of loose subjectivity to that of codified and verifiable objectivity.

In simple terms, the Chairman cannot do as he likes in the matter of issuance of Letters of Good Standing. Irrespective of his sentiments for or against the applicant, the Chairman can only be guided in the exercise of his duty or refrain from same , ONLY by the consideration of the Applicant’s compliance or non-compliance with the directives and stipulates of the Constitution in that regard.

May I humbly stress this point. By the constitutional provisions regarding the issuance of Letter of Good Standing by the Chairman of a Branch, it is a right of the Applicant to apply for and receive a Letter of Good Standing, where he is in compliance with the provisions of the Constitution of the Nigerian Bar Association 2015(as amended). Consequently, the Chairman has a COMPELLING DUTY on him to issue the letter, where there is compliance. He,(the Chairman), therefore, is not dispensing or conferring a PRIVILEDGE on the Applicant. In effect, the Chairman issues the Letter of Good Standing not because the application meets with his PERSONAL APPROVAL but rather because it is in CONFORMITY with the provisions of the Constitution.

(b)Should the Honourable Committee disqualify me on account of my nomination packet not having a Letter of Good Standing from my Branch Chairman, irrespective of the fact that same was untowardly, wrongfully, maliciously and unconstitutionally denied by the Chairman despite due, timely application and compliance, it would mean that the Electoral Committee has construed the situation as a STRICT LIABILITY CASE. Such a stance in my humble view cannot in any way, legally and morally, even spiritually be upheld as proper and just. This is because not only is such a stance punishing the innocent for the unfair and oppressive act of another but also APPROVING AND LEGALIZING SAME. In the event such a stance has conferred tyrannical powers not ascribed to Branch Chairmen by the Constitution and turning them to Frankenstein monsters. This certainly cannot be the intendment of the Constitution.

CONCLUSION AND PRAYER
As I have asserted in my letter of May 29, 2020 to you, Sir, Dele Oloke Esq is well known as a bitter political rival of mine since 2016 in the NBA Ikeja Branch. He was the factional leader of the Branch between 2016 and 2017 when he was thrown up unsuccessfully to replace me as Chairman after the national body of the Association on June 16, 2016 purported to nullify my June 14, 2016 electoral victory as the bonafide Chairman.

I had to go to Court against him and the National body to contain the situation. Kindly find attached a Copy of the Ruling of the Honourable Justice M.A. Lawal of the Lagos High Court granting an order of injunction against the Defendants (Dele Oloke inclusive) in Suit Number LD/1141GCM/2016.

The factional leadership crisis at the Ikeja Bar ended in May 2017 when he declined at the last minute to participate in a fresh election ordered between the two of us for the disputed position of Chairman.

The bitter rivalry resurfaced at the last month of my tenure when I disagreed with the desire of Oloke and his group to hand over the office of Chairman to him automatically without an election. I insisted on the election as the only acceptable means to attaining position in the Branch, much to the discomfiture of Oloke and his supporters, who believe he could not win in any election organised by my administration. The election held and ironically, he won.

Dele Oloke saw his emergence as Branch Chairman as a great opportunity to deal with me and anyone associated with me and he applied his energies strenuously to this his GRAND PROJECT. The refusal to issue me a Letter of Good Standing is just the latest of his reprisal schemes and attacks against my interest.

I conclude with a sober and passionate prayer to your Committee to take a deep and insightful assessment of the claims and merits of my Appeal and grant same.

Thank you.

Yours faithfully,

OGUNLANA ADESINA ADEMOLA

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THE USORO LEGACY: NBA NEC MEETINGS

BY AKOREDE HABEEB LAWAL

Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Assistant Publicity Secretary, MR. AKOREDE HABEEB LAWAL in this article made available to CITY LAWYER tracks the gains of the Paul Usoro SAN-led Administration in organizing National Executive Committee (NBA-NEC) meetings.

Meetings of the Nigerian Bar Association are above the simplistic coming together of two or more persons to discuss issues of mutual interest. The meetings of members of the NBA are to varying degrees the major decision making organs of the Bar. The essence, in my view, is democratic. And unsurprisingly, by virtue of Article 5 of the NBA Constitution, 2015 (as amended) the supreme authority of the Bar rests in the General Meeting.

At the national end, the NBA is mandated to hold three statutory meetings – National Officers meeting, National Executive Committee meeting and the General Meeting. The monthly National Officers meetings have an expected attendance of the 14 elected officers. The quarterly National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings are attended by almost 500 statutory and co-opted NEC members. The Annual General meeting is open to all members and participants in recent years had hardly been lesser than 1000 in number.

The logistics of holding these statutory meetings are quite heavy on the purse of the association, but we cannot run the extreme by limiting the meetings – both in essence and numbers – as the meetings serve as necessary and statutory checks on the Bar leadership. Thus, while we cannot cut down on the meetings, we can and we have been cutting down on the costs of the meetings since September 2018, when the Paul Usoro, SAN leadership came on board.

It was at the first NEC meeting hosted by the Paul Usoro, SAN administration in December 2018 at the NBA House in Abuja that the tone of changing the status quo was set.

NEC members came expecting their usual hurriedly printed NEC entrance tags, but they were met with bespoke neck tags bearing their names and the duration of their term (2018 to 2020). At the end of the meeting, the Secretariat staff recalled the tags from the participants and kept them. Upon return for the next NEC meeting, the same tags were returned to the respective NEC members and this has been the culture since 2018. One NEC tag for one NEC member in one NEC term. No reprinting tags. No return of money to the NEC Printer!

Hitherto, NBA used to ‘bless’ her NEC members with what was known as NEC Bundle. NEC Bundles were nicely printed hard books with the sober green logo of the NBA on their covers. A flip through the pages welcome you with the glossy pictures of National officers and ordinary prints of quarterly reports of all NBA activities. In a year, a NEC member would go home with 4 of such and if well arranged, you would easily mistake NEC Bundles for useful law books on the shelves of the library of a NEC member. The only difference is that they were bought for the half of a thousand NEC members with NBA funds – running into tens of millions.

Since December 2018, the ‘NEC Bundle’ and its contractors regime has been ousted. In its stead, NEC reports are sent via emails and special WhatsApp Groups to all NEC members prior to the meetings. NEC members are encouraged to attend the meetings with their devices and, in place of heavy NEC bundles, the Paul Usoro leadership makes pervasive fast internet facilities at the venue of the meeting to aid free and easier downloads of the electronic reports. In addition to this, the reports are projected on a large screen for members to follow proceedings.

It was the same initiative that the present NBA leadership adopted on a bigger scale at her first Annual General meeting in 2019. The yearly reports were electronically reduced into PDF formats and were sent to members via emails. By this seemingly simple but ingenious efforts, we saved our association hundreds of millions that would have gone to some printers. And this is one of the reasons we were able to record for the first time ever hundreds of millions as surplus, post -2019 annual general conference.

While the conversation about the NBA picking the hotel bills of statutory NEC members is ongoing, the Paul Usoro administration has made the process more transparent and prudent. Shifting from the earlier system of reserving hotel accommodation for statutory members who may end up not attending the meeting, presently, until a NEC member is confirmed physically present for the meeting, reservations of accommodation are not availed. An indication of the success of this system is that in 2019 and for arguably the first time ever in the NBA history, the present Welfare Secretary, Joshua Enemali Usman returned more than a million Naira of un-utilized hotel bills to the coffers of the NBA.

In respect of meetings of National Officers, long before Covid-19 pandemic, and at the first constitutional amendment opportunity in August 2019, this NBA administration caused the General meeting to amend the NBA Constitution by adding a proviso to Article 8 (6). The said provision now allows for the monthly national officers meeting to hold via teleconference, videoconference and other electronic means, thereby cutting hotel and travel costs that would otherwise have been incurred.

This forward looking provision defines how leadership stands tall to take a peep into the future and face it by earnestly changing the status quo.

“Upon return for the next NEC meeting, the same tags were returned to the respective NEC members and this has been the culture since 2018. One NEC tag for one NEC member in one NEC term. No reprinting tags. No return of money to the NEC Printer!”

Please send emails to citylawyermag@gmail.com. Copyright 2020 CITY LAWYER. All materials available on this Website are protected by copyright, trade mark and other proprietary and intellectual property laws. You may not use any of our intellectual property rights without our express written consent or attribution to www.citylawyermag.com. However, you are permitted to print or save to your individual PC, tablet or storage extracts from this Website for your own personal non-commercial use.

‘WE HAVE DUMPED ICT FIRM, NOT NBA VOTING PORTAL,’ SAYS TAWO TAWO

BY EMEKA NWADIOKE

The Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) has resolved that TAVIA Technologies Limited, the company that built the NBA Election website, will not conduct the e-voting for the forthcoming NBA Elections.

Disclosing this in an interview with THISDAY LAWYER, ECNBA Chairman, Mr. Tawo Tawo SAN however stated that the electoral committee may still deploy the election platform built by the ICT firm for the forthcoming NBA Elections. The committee did not also state whether TAVIA would be given any other role in the run-up to the elections.

His words: “It may be of interest to point out that, the IT firm, TAVIA, that developed the NBA election portal/platform, is not conducting the e-voting election for the NBA; rather another IT consultant will do that.”

According to the ECNBA helmsman, “there was the need to engage an independent IT Consultant to analyse, assess and critique the portal as to its integrity, functionality and suitability for the elections, or otherwise advice (sic) on other options.”

CITY LAWYER had in an exclusive report on May 11, 2020 hinted on the existence of a ready-made election portal commissioned by the Mr. Paul Usoro SAN-led administration thus: “It was unclear at press time whether the vendor’s scope of work included a mandate to deliver an election portal for the forthcoming NBA Elections, given the notice issued by the ECNBA seeking proposals to recruit an ‘Information Technology Specialist.’ ”

The existence of the election portal was subsequently confirmed by the ECNBA Chairman in ECNBA PRESS STATEMENT NO. 003 released on May 15, 2020 when he said: “The Committee was briefed that the NBA has its own e-voting platform/portal for elections developed by TAVIA, an IT firm. TAVIA was invited to brief the Committee in conjunction with the NBA IT Officer Umar Gezawa, on the said NBA election platform/portal.”

According to the electoral umpire, the final decision on whether the ready-made NBA voting portal would be deployed for the election would be based on an assessment of the integrity of the election website by the committee’s Information Technology Specialist. It was unclear at press time whether the committee has chosen a specialist, as it is yet to issue any statement in that regard.

Noting that there are advantages of a dedicated NBA Election Portal for all times, Tawo however said that the fate of the portal spearheaded by the Usoro Administration will be determined by the committee alongside its consultant, adding that “the e-voting portal to deploy for the election would depend on the advice and report of the IT Consultant engaged for the election, upon analysing the existing NBA election platform.”

He also gave insights on the challenges facing the committee in midwifing a free, fair and credible election. The full text of the interview is below:

NBA Elections Will be Free, Fair and Credible
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), is unarguably the largest professional body in Africa. With almost 200,000 members, the body’s biennial elections come with understandably humongous challenges. This year’s elections to its national offices present no less, and Mr Tawo Eja Tawo, SAN has been given the herculean task of midwifing the elections, which will be by universal suffrage and e-voting. In a chat with Onikepo Braithwaite and Jude Igbanoi, he outlined the responsibilities of the Nigerian Bar Association Electoral Committee (ECNBA) of which he is Chairman, and gave insights on how his Committee intends to deliver a free, fair and transparent election next month

A few weeks ago, you assured Nigerian Lawyers that your Committee would deliver a credible, free and fair election. What specific plans do you have in place to fulfil this promise, given the fact the last few elections of the Nigerian Bar Association were trailed with controversies?
The assurance to deliver a credible, free and fair election for the NBA, still stands. To achieve that, we will ensure adherence to the attributes or ingredients of a credible, free and fair election, to wit, inclusiveness, transparency, accountability and competitiveness in the 2020 general elections of the National Executives of the NBA. Inclusiveness; where members of the Bar are provided equal opportunities to participate in the elections either as voters or candidates subject of course, to the Constitution of the NBA. Transparency; where members and stakeholders can verify independently, the conduct of the electoral process. Accountability; where the rights of the members with respect to the conduct of the stakeholders and candidates in the election is sustainable, and competitiveness where members will have reasonable and equal opportunities to compete in the elections.

The Committee has a road map of activities for the election, which commenced with the issuance of a preliminary notice for the elections. Thereafter, the guidelines for the elections were issued, and nomination of candidates opened on May 11th, 2020 and closed on May 29th, 2020. We are in the process of screening the nominees, before publication of the list of candidates. There shall be a period for appeals, as provided for in the election guidelines. We have, and shall be issuing periodic statements, to put members in the know of the activities and the electoral process.

We are aware that one of the keys to the successful delivery of our electoral mandate, is the compilation of an authentic and credible voters register consisting of only the names of eligible voters as prescribed by the Constitution of the NBA, in order not to disenfranchise any qualified member from voting. Secondly, since the election is by e-voting, the deployment of a suitable election portal/platform that is easily accessible and user friendly is very important, and this has to be done on the advice and in consultation with a credible IT Consultant engaged for the purpose of assisting in the conduct of the election, which will also include voter education for the use of the election portal.

Nigerian Lawyers were shocked when you stated in a recent press release, that the NBA presented your Committee with an already prepared e-voting platform, over which your Committee had no input. This has raised serious apprehensions in the minds of many, that it could be a ploy to rig the elections in favour of a particular candidate. Is your Committee ready to accept that voting platform to deliver the election? If so, how will you be able to convince Lawyers that the elections will be free and fair?

If you had the opportunity of reading my press statement No. 003 of May 15th, 2020 captioned “The Journey so far”, you would have discovered that those were not my words. However, I want to believe that was the understanding of the reporter who chose such a headline for his story. What I said was that, the Committee was briefed that the NBA has its own e-voting platform/portal for elections developed by an IT firm.

I did not say the e-voting platform/portal was developed specifically for the 2020 elections, and neither did I say anything that should warrant an inference that the NBA developed platform was created for the purpose of rigging the elections, far from it. It may be of interest to point out that, the IT firm, TAVIA, that developed the NBA election portal/platform, is not conducting the e-voting election for the NBA; rather another IT consultant will do that. I went further in that statement to state that, in spite of the obvious advantages of the NBA portal, namely reduction in cost and security of members data vis- a-vis deployment of another election platform or portal, there was the need to engage an independent IT Consultant to analyse, assess and critique the portal as to its integrity, functionality and suitability for the elections, or otherwise advice on other options.

Let me say this, we as a people, not just Lawyers but Nigerians, have so much programmed and skewed our mind set and perception to negativism and pessimism, that we fail to see or look at the good side or intention of a particular exercise or project; rather we look and search for the bad, the ugly and the hidden agenda, even when none exist.

That is why bad news sells faster. Having said that, what is wrong for an organisation that conducts a crucial election biannually to develop an election portal for use for its elections, rather than every two years an IT firm is commissioned or contracted to develop an election portal for the election, and discard same afterwards?

However, like I stated in the said Statement No. 003, the e-voting portal to deploy for the election would depend on the advice and report of the IT Consultant engaged for the election, upon analysing the existing NBA election platform.

Despite your warning to candidates for the various offices, it does appear as if your warning was observed in breach, as many of them have been on all media platforms practically campaigning and canvassing for votes, even when the ban had not been lifted.

How do you intend to assure that all candidates play by the rules? Do your rules and guidelines permit aspirants traversing the length and breadth of the country, visiting Branches to seek for votes? If not, what are your Committee’s plans to deal with this? What exactly do your rules permit for the canvassing for votes? After all, candidates must make themselves known to the electorate at large to share their manifestos and win them over.

The ECNBA has general powers to conduct the 2020 general elections of the NBA; those powers are however, subject to the NBA Constitution. It is in consequence of those powers, that we issued guidelines for the election. The ban for the campaigns has not been lifted, because there are no candidates for the elections yet. Assuming at this stage an aspirant embarks on a campaign spree and upon screening he or she is rightly disqualified from contesting the election, of what benefit would the campaign be? Come to think of it, and in all frankness, what is the campaign for the NBA election all about? Is it for vote buying or letting members know the candidate’s program for the Association and its members? If it is for the latter, paragraph 1.3(f) of the second schedule to the NBA Constitution 2015 (as amended) has taken care of that, to the effect that candidates are to submit copies of their curriculum vitae, comprehensive manifestoes and other campaign materials to the ECNBA for publication on the NBA website. Besides, with a few inquiries from colleagues, members will be able to ascertain and determine the capability of any of the candidates.

The essence of the guidelines and constitutional limitations and prohibitions to campaigns, such as traversing and criss-crossing the entire length and breadth of the country for votes, is to discourage unnecessary spending of money with the attendant urge to recoup same upon being elected.

In terms of any breach of the guidelines or the constitutional provisions by the candidates, we are monitoring the activities of the prospective candidates and their supporters, and we shall not hesitate to impose appropriate sanctions for any violation. This also brings me back to the issue of accountability which I mentioned earlier, as an ingredient of a credible election which pertains to members’ rights to question the conduct of the stakeholders and the candidates for the election.

Some Aspirants have been accused of enticing young Lawyers with juicy monetary offers, by asking them for their account numbers to help pay their practicing fees and Branch dues. Does this not amount to inducement and election malpractice? How are you responding to such allegations?

Inducement or monetary offers to voters, is vote buying simpliciter. It is an anathema to the tenets of democracy, and portends grave damage to any society or organisation that encourages it, as it will scuttle the right to conscientiously call those elected through vote buying to account. In fact, it is inexcusable, both for the vote buyer and the vote seller.

Yes, asking for account numbers from some members for the payment of their Bar practicing fees and branch dues by aspirants or prospective candidates, especially during the election year, amounts to an inducement and election malpractice. However, those are general allegations which we cannot act upon, without proof or evidence of such allegations. That notwithstanding, if the Committee by whatsoever means and ways finds out that any aspirant or candidate indulges or indulged in such or any other malpractice, the full weight of the relevant constitutional provisions will be brought to bear on such aspirant or candidate.

What is your position on ethnic endorsement or adoption of Candidates, despite the fact that the election will be by universal suffrage?
In my humble opinion, there is a seeming difference between endorsement of a candidate and adoption of a candidate. Endorsement of a candidate, is the support or approval of a candidate by a person or group of persons. Adoption of a candidate, on the other hand, is the choice to make a candidate a group’s own candidate, i.e. the group of persons put forward the candidate as their own and only candidate.

Generally, endorsements and adoptions are integral to democracy. Adoption is usually an off shoot of consensus amongst the aspirants or candidates, and the group or platform the candidates seek to represent. It follows therefore, that in the absence of a consensus, adoption of a candidate by a group becomes more or less ineffectual, because other candidates may likely emerge in defiance of the adoption. Having said that, adoption on its own is not bad in a democracy, provided there is a consensus.

My take here is that, adoption arising from a consensus is good because it tends to reduce acrimony, rancour, as well as tension, and brings about collaboration, peace, synergy, unity of ideas and understanding, not only amongst the aspirants or candidates, but also amongst the electorates.

The interim list of voters just released by your Committee, is riddled with so many errors and omissions. Although there is said to be a window of opportunity to correct these errors, it has been revealed that many Branches claim that they don’t have the capacity to verify the list of their members who have paid Branch dues. This will undoubtedly affect the eligibility of many voters. What remedies are available to ensure that Lawyers are not unduly denied their right to vote?

It is not correct to say that the interim voters list released by my Committee is riddled with so many errors and omissions, especially when the interim list is considered with the accompanying ECNBA statement No.005 in view. The import of your statement on the purported errors and omissions, is that the errors were occasioned by the Committee, and that is far from the truth.

Paragraph 1.2(f) of the second schedule to the NBA Constitution predicated the eligibility to vote at the elections on the twin requirement of payment of Bar Practicing Fees and Branch Dues as at when due, which by the Constitution is the 31st day of March of the election year, in this case 2020. To compile the voters list, the Committee’s resource for the assignment is the Bar Practising Fees list from the National Secretariat of the NBA, since Bar Practicing Fees is paid to NBA National, while the Branch Dues list from the 125 branches of the NBA, since the Branch Dues are paid to the branches. Paragraph 1.3 (d) of the second schedule to the NBA Constitution stipulates that the full list of all legal practitioners qualified to vote shall be published by the ECNBA in conjunction with the National Secretariat of the NBA, at least 28 days before the date of the election.

Bearing in mind the said paragraph 1.3(d), the Committee asked the National Secretariat to request from the branches, the list of their members who have paid their branch dues. Based on our request, the General Secretary of the NBA early April 2020 requested for the said list from the branches, giving them about three weeks to do so. When the Committee realised that the response from the branches was very poor, it stepped in and made the request for branches to submit the said list of their members with proof of payment of branch dues not later than May 2nd, 2020.

The time was further extended to May 9th, 2020. Thereafter, the time for submission became open ended so to speak, just to accommodate all the branches. It was disheartening that as at May 29th, 2020, only about 36 out of 125 branches complied with the Committee’s request. From the list we got from the branches with proof of payment of branch dues matched with the Bar Practicing fees list from the NBA Secretariat, we could only compile a list with slightly below 10,000 names. The Committee had to fall back on the stamp and seal list of those who paid both their bar practicing fees and branch dues, and applied for the stamps. The rationale for the stamp and seal list is the assumption that to apply for stamp, the member must have paid both the bar practicing fees and branch dues. The stamp and seal list was obtained from the National Secretariat, bearing in mind the provisions of paragraph 1.3 (d) earlier mentioned. That was how we were able to get over 21,000 names, on the interim list.

The publication of the interim voters register was a strategy adopted by the Committee, to ensure the compilation of a credible voters register. It was a clarion call for the branch Chairmen to take responsibility, and for members to call out their branch Chairmen to do the needful, in order not to jeopardise their chances of voting in the election. I want to reiterate and reassure that, no Lawyer with proof of eligibility to vote will be excluded and/or disenfranchised howsoever, from the elections.

I call on all members and branch Chairmen to utilise the window of opportunity created by the publication of the interim voters register, to do the needful. I am happy with the response so far from the branches, and must say that the strategy is paying off.

How is the issue of Lawyers who were unable to pay their practicing fees before the deadline as a result of the Covid-19 lockdown, being resolved?

The period and time of payment of Bar practicing fees as at when due is a constitutional issue, which to me requires a constitutional solution i.e. constitutional amendment. Aside, procrastination and the culture of last minute rush by most people, I am not exempt, to meet datelines can be detrimental sometimes. I want to believe that, that was what affected most of our colleagues who couldn’t pay their BPF before March 31st, 2020 due to Covid-19 pandemic lockdown on March 25th, 2020, especially those in Lagos, Abuja and Ogun State. In any case, I do not rule out the fact that some junior colleagues may not have got the resources to do so before the lockdown.

What would you say are your biggest challenges in this crucial assignment, before and after the elections?
For now, my biggest challenge before the election is the compilation of an authentic and credible voters register for the 2020 general elections of the National Executives of the NBA, occasioned in the main by the initial lack of cooperation from most members and their branch Chairmen. To put a stop to the blame game, I was compelled to discuss and interact with some branch Chairmen via phone calls to ensure progress of the process, and the initial feedback was not encouraging. Some said members, have failed to produce evidence of branch dues payments and the like. But, I am happy to state that, most branches rose to the occasion, and the level of cooperation in that regard became remarkable. In any case, the Committee will not act contrary to the letters of the NBA Constitution.

On the issue of challenges after the election, we are yet to conduct the election, so I cannot at this stage know or speculate on what challenges await me after the election. I pray there are none. We will do what is right under the Constitution, and by the grace of God, we shall conduct a credible, free and fair election; and I want to add that, such cannot be achieved without the cooperation and support of our members and stakeholders. I urge our esteemed colleagues to own the electoral process by making inquiries and seeking for clarifications from the Committee, rather than get involved only by making derisive comments that will tend to distract on the electoral process.

Many are saying that the NBA needs to be overhauled; that it needs to refocus, to play the role of a true Bar Association. Do you agree? Going forward, what do you expect from the incoming NBA leadership?
Before you talk of overhauling or refocusing the NBA, you have to ascertain and examine the attributes of a Bar Association, of which the NBA is one. The Bar Association is meant to represent the interest of its members, promote their continuing education and training, as well as protect the professional integrity of the members. Beyond the interest of the members, the development of a strong, virile and independent Bar Association is central to democracy and human rights by protecting the rule of law, and providing a means and platform for citizens to assert their rights.

Agreed the NBA has to do more by championing the cause of justice, and defence of the rule of law. However, it has been increasingly difficult these days for the NBA to speak with one voice, because the Association is constituted by members with diverse interests, opinions and views. It is not a crime or misconduct to hold and express different views from that of the Association, considering the guaranteed freedom of expression by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), provided such views do not run counter to the Constitution of the Association, or ethics of the profession. And that has always been the constraint of the NBA.

I want to see a strong and virile NBA that will stand on the side of justice, the rule of law, and the rights of the citizens; as such NBA should get involved, and engage more in public interest matters. And, as legal practitioners who are members of the NBA, if we engage more in ensuring the sustenance of justice, rule of law and all that will be beneficial to the generality of the populace, it will invariably impact on the NBA as a Bar Association that all will be proud of.
Thank you, for having me express my humble views.

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‘WHY I DID NOT APPEAL MY DISQUALIFICATION BY ECNBA,’ – ASPIRANT

BY EMEKA NWADIOKE

One of the aspirants for the forthcoming Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) National Elections has told CITY LAWYER that he did not contest his disqualification by the Electoral Committee of the NBA (ECNBA) for “personal reasons.”

According to Mr. Echika Ejido, immediate past Provost of the factional NBA Abuja Branch, though he filed to contest for the post of Assistant Publicity Secretary, he did not appeal the decision of the electoral committee which cut short his political ambition.

The ECNBA had granted “provisional clearance” to 24 aspirants while disqualifying 19 others. The disqualified aspirants had till 4 pm yesterday to appeal the ECNBA decisions.

He is perhaps the second aspirant that has resigned himself to fate, even as Nigerian Bar Association, NBA Katsina Branch, Mr. Abdulgaffar Alhaji Ahmed may have also decided to tow the same line.

In an interview with CITY LAWYER, Ejido said: “I submitted form for the post of Assistant Publicity Secretary. I was disqualified on the basis that the two years at Branch EXCO is counted in days, and nominations closed on 29th May, 2020 while my two years tenure as Branch EXCO member ended 2 weeks later on June 11. So, I don’t have the required two years branch EXCO qualifying requirement.”

Arguing that his disqualification “is contestable,” Ejido said: “I won’t challenge my disqualification. I have decided not to contest same for personal reasons.”

Quite popular especially in Abuja Bar circles, Ejido sensationally left the Ezenwa Anumnu-led faction of the branch to pitch tent with the rival Abimbola Kayode faction.

Ahmed had also indicated he may have resigned himself to fate, following his disqualification. An aspirant to the post of Second Vice President, Ahmed had while reacting to his disqualification by the ECNBA said: “I thank all my supporters near and far. Thank you so much for being here. This is not the outcome we wanted or we worked for, and I’m sorry we did not make it to the election race for the values we share and the vision we hold for our beloved bar.”

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ODINKALU HAILS OGUNLANA’S DISQUALIFICATION, SET TO ENDORSE CANDIDATE

Leading human rights advocate, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu has plotted a roadmap for the incoming Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) leadership, saying there are three defining issues it must confront and resolve.

The former National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Chairman also endorsed the disqualification of fiery NBA presidential aspirant and former Chairman of NBA Ikeja Branch, Mr. Adesina Ogunlana, urging him to face the hurdle of clearing his name in a financial embezzlement charge. Ogunlana has vowed to appeal his disqualification.

The full text of the statement is below:

The ECNBA has finally cleared the deck & the #NBADecides2020 campaign season is undeniably upon us.

I’m personally grateful that the ECNBA declined to present for the contest an aspirant who is presently undergoing prosecution on allegations of having misappropriated branch funds while he served as Chairman of his branch of the Bar. It would have been awful to do anything else. Obviously, that aspirant enjoys a presumption of innocence in accordance with law. While that persists, he will be well advised to focus on answering to those charges.

For reasons that are amply in the public domain, I have largely been on sabbatical from NBA affairs in the past two years. Events within & beyond Nigeria over that period – from Ethiopia to Kenya; Lesotho to Malawi & other places in which I have been personally involved – confirm me in the view, however, that an active Bar is an essential armour in a democracy.

#NBADecides2020 is an opportunity once more to attempt to give life to the NBA. The on-going campaigns are a window into what could happen thereafter.

I am taking an active interest in the campaigns because I intend to form an active view in the contests & to canvass for those I believe in.

These NBA elections matter life few in recent memory. We are at a generational inflection point institutionally, nationally & internationally. The president of the NBA who will be inaugurated in August 2020 will confront a pile-on of problems like none of his predecessors in recent memory. Young lawyers in particular, whose future is on the ballot in this contest have a duty to take sides & to do so actively.

All the cleared candidates have passed the threshold of Zoning. No one can claim to be more zonal than others who come from the same zone. The issue of zonal adoption must now be rested.

The issues do matter. In that respect, there are – for me – 3 defining issues:

#SkillsForAll: The #COVID19 pandemic has forced on our legal profession, an analogue-digital cross-over that had been begging for deployment. The needs unfurled by this imperative have no generational biases. There are very senior lawyers who can’t do SMS just as there are young lawyers who wonder what digital outsourcing means. The dichotomies between rural & urban branches have consequences in livelihoods & professional fulfilment. A leadership of NBA in 2020 must be willing & ambitious to invest in growing skills in our profession for the Post-COVID-19 world, without let or hinderance.

#NBAForAll : Our NBA is riven with all manner of debilitating, even antediluvian dichotomies that make no sense & make it easier for the rich & successful among us to capture the profession at the expense of the most, sometimes in ways that in themselves undermine value-for-money lawyering.

Every vocation deserves responsible seniors & elders. The dichotomies between Inner & Utter Bars, which should be a source of decent aspiration among desirous younger lawyers has become a free-for-all excuse in some cases for desperation.

Our female colleagues have a right to pursue the realisation of their fullest potentials without the patronising nonsense of being seen as “men in skirts”, a formulation that effectively calls them professional transvestites.

NBA deserves a leadership that can honour our past, be relevant to our present & have the capacity to prepare our younger lawyers for competition with Asian legal sweatshops of the immediate future. This means we need a Bar leadership with experience in building inter-generational institutions.

#NigeriaForAll : Over the past 2 years, while Nigeria has suffered, NBA has vegetated with our sights firmly fixed around our navel or below it. That is just not good enough.

Over the next decade & a half Nigeria will make a choice to prosper or perish. We will confront a unique mix of challenges like never before – fiscal insolvency, sclerotic or negative growth, demographic time-bomb, institutional melt-down, metastasis of nihilistic insecurity, energy exclusion, digital exclusion, hemispheric dissonance between north & south, & a sovereign crisis of demand of governance & supply of public goods.

The confluence of these issues will require deliberate & focused course-correction which only a centered leadership can evince. Absent that, our country will struggle to survive. If the country is imperilled, lawyers in the NBA can nary afford the pursuit of our vocation. An NBA of tribes & vibes will not be fit for purpose. A leadership for these times must see a country as bigger than the sum of its parts.

The defining issue will be Electoral Integrity . Any of the three cleared presidential candidates would be able to preside over a Bar. But this is not a season for an adequate leader. In 2020, a majority of our Bar should be willing to insist on an exceptional leader. NBA has struggled to survive two rigged national elections. It will not survive a third one. This ECNBA has a duty to ensure, like Caesar’s wife, that it is above reproach. It always easier to unite around a winner whose victory is above reproach.

These then are the issues around which we must find a leadership that can serve the NBA in these times. I am listening to the campaigns & consulting with my colleagues. I fully intend to take sides in #NBADecides2020 & will make my views public well before the vote because the issues have never been more urgent & being neutral – as Pontius Pilate taught us – is itself a position.

I remain City-Zen (Citizen) Chidi Anselm Odinkalu

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NBA ELECTION: AJIBADE, AKPATA SPLIT TOP LAW FIRM’S PARTNERS

* PARTNERS DISAGREE ON ENDORSEMENT

BY EMEKA NWADIOKE

The gale of endorsements pervading the forthcoming Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) National Elections has turn apart a tier-one law firm, with leading Partners going their separate ways in pitching tent with the presidential aspirants.

Aspirants for the election are being endorsed by high-profile Bar leaders in order to better position themselves to clinch coveted positions at the polls.

While Mr. Ebun Sofunde SAN, one of the oldest surviving senior advocates, has thrown his weight behind Dr. Babatunde Ajibade SAN, his Partner in the top law firm, Mr. Muhammad Dele Belgore SAN has gone in the opposite direction, endorsing the candidature of Mr. Olumide Akpata. Both are Partners in the top law firm of Sofunde, Osakwe, Ogundipe & Belgore.

Giving reasons for his endorsement, Sofunde said: “In these trying times for the Bar and Bench, I see Dr. AJIBADE, SAN, as a person who will do his utmost to restore pride and dignity to the Bar and Bench by ensuring that such virtues as (a) integrity, (b) diligence and (c) merit, are enthroned at all times.

“I see him also as a person who will fight for the welfare of the Bar and Bench and promote a smooth relationship between the Bar and Bench.”

Apparently disagreeing with the judgement of his Founding Partner, Belgore said: “The relevance of the NBA must be to its members, the consumers of legal services, the profession and society at large, in that order of priority. How members cope in this fast-changing world of technology, cross-border trade, increasing local challenges, external threats from estate agents, accountants, foreign lawyers and the like, disproportionate growth of the profession in the face of dwindling opportunities and income, are matters of grave concern to all of us. And they are obviously of greater concern to our younger colleagues, who as it happens, are the majority of the Bar.

“Consequently, the task of leadership right now must be on how to equip the majority with knowledge driven capacity and drive policies that will enable every lawyer to favourably compete against these challenges. This should be the central focus of our choice for leadership – a look to the future.

“The biggest folly of a candidate in any election is a focus on who is he as opposed to what he is offering. For a long time, the Bar has talked down at junior colleagues, its majority, and not to them. Successive leaderships have served up what they believe is good for them as opposed to engaging them in that determination. Even at this time with elections looming, it seems to me that only one candidate is effectively engaging its majority and talking about the real issues. That candidate is Olumide Akpata and for this reason he gets my vote and endorsement.”

In a frontal attack on the notion that only senior advocates should aspire for the presidency of the Bar, Belgore said: “Finally, I should ask where is it written that the privilege of leading the NBA is the exclusive preserve of Senior Advocates of Nigeria? That ‘exclusivity’ is untenable, undeserved and un-egalitarian.”

The divergent positions of the leading senior advocates have set tongues wagging in legal circles. Some watchers of NBA politics however believe it would have been anathema for Sofunde to have endorsed a non-senior advocate, especially as he is one of the leading lights of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN), an entity he has occasionally led as acting Chairman. His endorsement may however go beyond his BOSAN commitments, as he is also listed alongside Mr. Tunde Busari SAN as Ajibade’s nominator.

There is an unwritten understanding among many senior advocates that a non-SAN should not superintend the affairs of the Bar. However, some senior advocates have broken ranks with BOSAN by endorsing Akpata.

Sofunde, regarded as highly cerebral and often taciturn, is listed as the 61st lawyer to be conferred with the coveted rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, having been conferred with the rank on May 3, 1988. On his part, Belgore, who has flirted with politics in his failed bids to become the governor of Kwara State, took silk on September 10, 2001.

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WHAT ADESINA, AJIBADE, AKPATA, OGUNLANA, OTHERS ARE SAYING ON ECNBA CLEARANCE, DISQUALIFICATION

BY EMEKA NWADIOKE

Many aspirants have been reacting on their clearance or disqualification by the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) for the forthcoming NBA National Elections. Among those who appreciated ECNBA for their clearance are Dr. Babatunde Ajibade SAN and Mr. Olumide Akpata. While Sources close to Mr. Dele Adesina SAN told CITY LAWYER that he did not issue any statement on the matter, a group of supporters under umbrella of “Team DASAN” said his clearance was received “with joy and put us all in joyful mood.” The group added: “While congratulating our candidate and ourselves, we must be reminded that the work has just begun. We must all strive towards ensuring the realisation of DASAN’s Presidency in order to secure the future of the Bar.”

Aspirants who were disqualified from the race also reacted to the ECNBA decisions, with former NBA Ikeja Branch Chairman, Mr. Adesina Ogunlana leading the pack of aspirants who have vowed to challenge their disqualification.

Below is a compilation of aspirants’ reactions by CITY LAWYER:

DR. BABATUNDE AJIBADE, SAN
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
I give thanks to God that the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association has granted me provisional clearance to contest for the office of President of the NBA.
By this, we have scaled the first official hurdle in this race to reposition and strengthen the Nigerian legal profession.
I could not have done this without the spiritual, moral and physical support of each and everyone of you and I am truly grateful for your support thus far.
This is just a first hurdle though and there is still a long journey ahead before we reach the promised land. I look forward to your continued support and a doubling of our efforts as we make this final push to build a better Bar.
Let’s all remember that while I can do little alone, we can do much more together.
Let’s unite and do better.

OLUMIDE AKPATA
WE MUST KEEP MOVING FOR A BETTER BAR
My friends,
I am pleased to report that last night, the ECNBA cleared me to contest the 2020 NBA Presidential elections. My team and I are delighted to have crossed this milestone in my quest to lead the Bar to an enviable future.
I can only say that the future we seek for the NBA is much closer than we think, and I must thank everyone who has supported so far. Still, we must continue to move until we get to the finish line. We must be propelled by our desire transform the NBA into an Association in which we all find a sense of belonging and from which we all grow and benefit as lawyers and also set standards for the future.
My drive to see a better NBA did not start today, so there is no backing down from this cause. This is why I urge supporters of my candidacy everywhere to continue to advocate actively for a transformed NBA and to exercise their franchise when the time is right. Let us give our members hope again and give the society reasons to believe in us.
As always, I remain grateful for your support.
Thank you.

ADESINA OGUNLANA
DO NOT BE DISMAYED …..WE SHALL OVERCOME
BEING THE PRELIMINARY RESPONSE OF OGUNLANA ADESINA , ESQ (CHAIRMAN, NBA IKEJA BRANCH 2016-2018)TO THE NOTICE OF LETTER DISQUALFYING HIM FROM CONTESTING FOR THE OFFICE OF PRESIDENT OF THE NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION ( NBA)

Dear Colleagues, Friends and Supporters ,
Good morning, All. May I respectfully inform that I have this day , -3 June 2020, at about 6 10 am, become aware of a mail from the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association ( ECNBA) stating my disqualification from participating in the election for the office of the President of our great Association .

The ECNBA gave a singular reason – absence of LETTER OF GOOD STANDING(LOGS) from my Branch Chairman . ECNBA also stated my right to appeal their verdict within 7 days of receipt of their mail. We thank ECNBA
May I further state that I shall APPEAL the verdict . Let me assure every one that my dues for 2018, 2019 and 2020 were duly and fully paid as at when due as stipulated in the Constitution of the Association and which automatically thus entitles me to the LOGS.

The absence of the LOGS was not due to any fault of mine but to the malicious act of the incumbent but now out going BRANCH CHAIRMAN of the NBA IKEJA BRANCH, Dele Oloke , Esq . Of course , the poisoned antecedents of Oloke as a factional leader of the IKEJA BAR and who eventually lost out to me in the extremely intense intra-Bar leadership struggle of 2016-2017 is well known .

Clearly , the issue for determination is- CAN A BRANCH CHAIRMAN DECLINE TO ISSUE A LETTER OF GOOD STANDING TO AN APPLICANT , WHERE APPLICANT TO THE NOTICE OF THE CHAIRMAN, HAS COMPLIED WITH THE PROVISIONS AND STIPULATES OF THE CONSTITUION IN THAT REGARD ?

May I use this medium to appeal to all our supporters not to be dismayed but to remain not only calm but cheerful . Always trusting in the Faithfulness and Mercies of God and the consistently triumphant forces of GOOD over EVIL I declare to you today , WE SHALL OVERCOME .

THANK YOU

ALEXANDER NDUKA MUOKA
Good morning learned Seniors and Colleagues.
I have been provisionally cleared by the ECNBA to contest for the office of General Secretary of the NBA in the elections next month.
Let’s make this happen together, and thank you for your support.

JOYCE ODUAH
My Distinguished colleagues and teeming supporters* , it gives me great delight to announce to you that yesterday, Friday, 12th June 2020, *the Nigerian Bar Association Electoral Committee (“ECNBA”) provisionally cleared me to contest for the Office of the General Secretary of the NBA in the 2020 NBA General Elections,* which is scheduled to hold from 24-25 July 2020. Indeed, this is a step forward in our mission to transform the NBA National Secretariat. I thank you all for your continued support and urge us not to relent in our mission to make the NBA National Secretariat more responsive, effective and efficient for all lawyers.

BARTH OKOYE ANICHE
I am excited to bring it to your knowledge that I made the Provisional Clearance List of the Nigerian Bar Association for her forthcoming 2020 National Elections.

The list which has me shortlisted as ‘Okoye, Nnaemeka Bath’, alongside four other persons for the position of the General Secretary, was announced on Friday 12th June, 2020 with a press statement signed by Tawo E. Tawo, SAN (Chairman ECNBA), and Mrs Cordelia U. Eke (Secretary, ECNBA). It also declared the disqualification of 19 of the 43 nominees. “Disqualified persons have been duly notified of the decision of the electoral officers and their right to Appeal.”

OKEY LEO OHAGBA
Distinguished Bar leaders, learned friends and supporters of my aspiration to serve the Bar, with great joy and glory to God Almighty, I bring you good news that the ECNBA has found yours truly fit and proper to contest for the office of NBA GENERAL SECRETARY in forthcoming NBA General Elections, scheduled for 24th/25th July this year.

This feat was possible with your support and prayers. Our vision for #InnovativeSecretariat #InnovativeBar just gained momentum, and I’m very upbeat we shall actualise that dream at the end, with your continuing support and by the special GRACE of God.

Our beautiful plans for the Bar would be unveiled as soon as ECNBA guidelines permit.

Please continue keeping faith with us as we focus now on the greater task ahead, and hope to work more closely with you this time. Together, we can build a more progressive, responsive and innovative Secretariat; more friendly and closer to all members.

The journey has been God’s and will remain God’s till the end.

THANK YOU

KUNLE EDUN
Distinguished Colleagues, i am pleased to inform you that the ECNBA has cleared me to run for the office of the National Welfare Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association. This could not have been possible without your support and prayers, and most importantly because you all believe in my aspiration. We return all the glory to God Almighty.

My clearance by the ECNBA is a call for greater service to the NBA and humanity. It is a further opportunity to replicate what we have done as the NBA Publicity Team (Kunle Edun & Habeeb Lawal) in addressing the welfare needs of our Colleagues.

With your continued support and prayers, the NBA will experience innovations, proactiveness and dilligence in attending to the critical welfare needs of our colleagues. Never again would a Lawyer beg for funds to undergo any life-saving Surgery. We must make OUR NBA take responsibility for our Welfare.

I wish to use this opportunity to thank my very good friend J.E. Usman , the current National Welfare Secretary for the fantastic work he has done so far. I know the many challenges he has had to confront in responding to the needs of Colleagues. I look forward to his guidance and advice in ensuring that we continue to make the welfare of Lawyers a core responsibility of the NBA. I also thank my co- National Officers, particularly my very good friend, Chinyere Obasi. We would continue to work as a Team.

My distinguished Colleagues and true advocates for positive change, the Election is few weeks away. I request that you spread the gospel of Kunle Edun to all Lawyers and groups. It is a gospel for better welfare for members. Let the final victory be for the Nigerian Lawyers.

Thank You.

S. O. K. SHILLINGS
Distinguished colleagues, I have read and been inundated with reports of the release of names of contestants for the coming election wherein my name is missing.
I understand that those who are disqualified have been notified of the fact and grounds of their disqualifications.
I have not received such notification. It is therefore clear that the omission must be due to inadvertence. We have therefore informed the ECNBA of this development and the need for it to do the needful.
I urge us to keep calm and follow up on our steady agenda leading to the final bend, sprint-start lapse.
I thank you immensely for the huge solidarity.

ADEDOTUN ADETUNJI
To all my teeming fans and supporters who have been calling and sending me messages from North, East, South and West since the news of my so called disqualification broke, I thank you very much and I dare say that this is the handwork of Shaitan but he won’t succeed. I believe this happened for a very very positive reason. The reason given for my disqualification is that my seconder did not have sufficient duration of NEC membership meanwhile he has been Nec member since 2004 till date (unbroken). What an irony. He has been secretary of a branch as Nec member 2004-2006, Chairman of a branch as Nec member 2014-2016 and the current elected Nec rep 2018-2020. He was coopted as Nec rep by the Presidency of Olisa Agbakoba San 2006- 2008, Rotimi Akeredolu San 2008-2010, J.B. Daudu San 2010-2012, Okey Wali San 2012-2014 and A.B. Mahmoud San 2016- 2018. *He has been a Nec member for 16 years unbroken period meanwhile, the constitutional requirement is to be in Nec for not less than two (2) years.*
We are surely going to appeal vehemently. We have a window of 7 days to do that but the action starts now. I thank you all for your support. Please keep the flag flying. No cause for alarm.

OLAYINKA SOKOYA
Good morning learned seniors and friends, I have read the list as sent by ECNBA and shockingly discovered that my name was missing in the list of cleared Aspirants. I equally received a letter of from Ecnba stating the reason for my disqualification subject however to appeal. The ground as stated in the said letter which was sent to my email, is that there was insufficient duration of my seconder as a NEC member. Immediately I saw this I was relieved due to the fact that this ground of disqualification cannot hold with respect to Ecnba. I am aware that my Seconder was the chairman of Osogbo branch between 2017-2019 during which he was a NEC member. My Seconder is equally the current NEC rep of his branch. Consequently I will sporadically appeal the disqualification on this ground. I thank you all for standing by me and for your unfiltered love for me. Let’s us be rest assured that our appeal by the grace of God will succeed. God bless you all.

SABASTINE ANYIA
SINCERE GRATITUDE TO COLLEAGUES AND FRIENDS FOR STANDING BY ME
I thank God and you all my dear friends and colleagues for standing by me through your prayers, calls and texts
Let’s be reminded that this is just the first hurdle, we have to work harder to achieve the goal. I urge you to remain committed to this project, it’ll be our victory.
God bless us all.

MERCY IJATO AGADA
It is with gratitude to the Most High that I’ve been cleared to contest by the ECNBA for the position of the NBA National Treasurer come 24/25 July 2020.
I want to use this medium to thank all my supporters for their supports and consistencies all these while.
I want to immensely thank all my supporters for their calls and congratulatory messages and I need your continuous support until we reach the finish line.
Thank you.

CAROLINE IBHARUNEAFE
Dear learned silks, colleagues and friends of my aspiration. I got the news of my disqualification from the NBA election by the screening committee in the midnight . I wish to announce to you all that I will be appealing that verdict as we have Seven days to do so. Please do not despair but remain focused as I rely on God to upturn that judgement. I encourage you all to continue with the publicity as all efforts are at top gear to correct the anormalies
I remain yours

ADEBAYO AKINLADE
Good morning everyone….I have just been cleared to contest for the position of 1st Vice President of the NBA…. I continue to crave the support of everyone here to reach out to your respective Branches and others on my behalf for the realization of our collective vision.

CHARLES AJIBOYE
Revered Seniors and Treasured Friends,
I thank you for the deep show of love I have felt by the tremendous number of calls, text messages and chats I have received since midnight over the absence of my name for the ECNBA Provisional List Of Candidates for NBA Elections 2020.
You will recall that I obtained and duly submitted nomination forms with accompanying documents for the office of *National Assistant Publicity Secretary*.
That you noticed the omission of my name from the list means to me that you care. I feel so honored and humbled by this. I am more encouraged to throw myself to serve the association we all love, and need to shine so brightly.
I was initially not contacted by the committee. They have since apologized for the slip in the typing of my e-mail address, and have duly reached me this morning on the reason for my disqualification viz:
*”Insufficient duration of your seconder’s membership of the branch executive committee as at close of nominations*”
The good news is that my seconder is a very senior member of Bar, and a two-term(4years) member of the executive committee of the NBA Ikeja Branch. So all we need to do is to utilize the opportunity of Appeal to make this clarifications to the ECNBA.
Nothing has changed please. Lets keep the ball rolling. It’s all about #anewnarrative
You know Charles Cares
You know Charles can assist
Be reminded…Charles is still in

NNAMDI RAPHAEL ANAGOR
Revered Colleagues,
I was cleared by the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) to contest for the office of the National Financial Secretary of our great Association.
Dearest Colleagues I appreciate your steadfastness and support. You all made this crucial victory at the start a reality.
Learned Colleagues your support and prayers were fruitful. I appreciate them.
This is just the first step in the process. I urge you not to relent until this dream becomes a reality.
Once again I thank you all.

AKOREDE HABEEB LAWAL
Dear learned seniors and friends,
The ECNBA has been kind to promptly inform me of the reasons for my disqualification for the office of National Publicity Secretary in the forthcoming bar elections. I trust the process and I believe in its fairness.
It’s easy to have a rush of emotions about this thing, but I’ll simply take my time to do the needful.
By the way, I’ve still got a job to do in my present role as Assistant National Publicity Secretary of our NBA. And I wish to continue in my role without distraction and with the right and desirable attitude.
I thank you all for your genuine concerns, and I urge you not to lose sight of the ultimate goal.

CHINYERE OBASI
Good morning my dear learned Seniors, colleagues and friends I received with shock a mail from the ECNBA stating reason my name is not on the provisional cleared list along side other names.
The mail also indicated that I have within 7 days to appeal.
ECNBA singular reason for not clearing me is that at the point of nomination, that my NEC Membership is less than 2years.
I will appeal because by virtue of my position as a National officer for two years I should be deemed to be seen as a NEC member for two years.
So I will implore everyone to keep calm until I go through the process of appeal within the stipulated time frame of 7 days.
Thank you for all your support, encouragement and prayers.
I really appreciate
all those that have called to show concerns, I owe you all this explanations and I appreciate you all for the immense support and show of love.
Thank you and thank you.

DR. RAPULU ERNEST NDUKA
Dearest Colleagues.
Yesterday the Electoral Committee cleared me for contest for the office of the Publicity Secretary of our noble Association.
This clearance the first step and very crucial in my bid to serve you is down to your support and prayers.
I could not have gotten this far without your prayers, support and counsel.
This is the first step. It is not yet uhuru. We should not relent till we get to the end of the race.
Once again I say a big thank you!

DR. GERALD ABONYI
Having received information on from ECNBA on the lack of information on my Nominator and Seconder, I am taking necessary steps to rectify same. There is no room for retreat. Thanks for believing in me. Keep the faith.

UCHENNA NWADIALO
Good evening colleagues!
To God be the glory, I have been provisionally cleared by ECNBA to contest for the office of ASSISTANT GENERAL SECRETARY of our great association in the forthcoming NBA NATIONAL elections.
Thank you all for your support.

ANNE AGI
Good afternoon dear colleagues. I am happy to inform you that I have been cleared by the ECNBA to contest for the office of *Assistant Secretary* in the NBA National Elections which comes up next month (July 2020).
Thank you so very much for your support all along and your congratulatory messages. I am honoured and very grateful.
Having been cleared, I need your help to scale through. I respectfully appeal for your support. Please spread the word for me in all your branches. It is with your help that I succeed.
Thank you.

AHMED ALHAJI
Disqualification not the End, I Take It in Good Faith
” _I thank all my supporters near and far. Thank you so much for being here. This is not the outcome we wanted or we worked for, and I’m sorry we did not make it to the election race for the values we share and the vision we hold for our beloved bar.”

OSAGIE OAIKHENA
I am most grateful to God Almighty , for the privilege to be cleared to contest the office of Assistant Secretary of the Bar, and the Chairman of my home branch, Prince C. B Ogiegbean Esq . I thank my nominator, the erudite bencher, Razak Isenalumhe Esquire, my seconder, Mr. Ebosele Okifo, and leaders including Solomon Odiase Esq, Olawyiwola Afolabi Esq, as well as those who have believe in me… I promise not to dissapoint you all, God bless the Nigerian Bar, and may the Bar never be an undergrowth.

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OGUNLANA VOWS TO CHALLENGE ECNBA DISQUALIFICATION

Former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja Branch Chairman, Mr Adesina Ogunlana has vowed to challenge his disqualification to participate in the forthcoming presidential election of the association. The Electoral Committee of the NBA (ECNBA) had listed Ogunlana among those disqualified from the race. It gave no reasons.

However, Ogunlana in a “preliminary response” posted on his verified Facebook channel and cited by CITY LAWYER gave absence of Letter of Good Standing as the reason for his disqualification. He blamed outgoing NBA Ikeja Branch Chairman, Mr. Dele Oloke for his travails, warning that he would fight the disqualification.

The full text of his response reads:

DO NOT BE DISMAYED …..WE SHALL OVERCOME
BEING THE PRELIMINARY RESPONSE OF OGUNLANA ADESINA , ESQ (CHAIRMAN, NBA IKEJA BRANCH 2016-2018)TO THE NOTICE OF LETTER DISQUALFYING HIM FROM CONTESTING FOR THE OFFICE OF PRESIDENT OF THE NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION ( NBA)

Dear Colleagues, Friends and Supporters ,
Good morning, All. May I respectfully inform that I have this day , -3 June 2020, at about 6 10 am, become aware of a mail from the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association ( ECNBA) stating my disqualification from participating in the election for the office of the President of our great Association .

The ECNBA gave a singular reason – absence of LETTER OF GOOD STANDING(LOGS) from my Branch Chairman . ECNBA also stated my right to appeal their verdict within 7 days of receipt of their mail. We thank ECNBA
May I further state that I shall APPEAL the verdict . Let me assure every one that my dues for 2018, 2019 and 2020 were duly and fully paid as at when due as stipulated in the Constitution of the Association and which automatically thus entitles me to the LOGS.

The absence of the LOGS was not due to any fault of mine but to the malicious act of the incumbent but now out going BRANCH CHAIRMAN of the NBA IKEJA BRANCH, Dele Oloke , Esq . Of course , the poisoned antecedents of Oloke as a factional leader of the IKEJA BAR and who eventually lost out to me in the extremely intense intra-Bar leadership struggle of 2016-2017 is well known .

Clearly , the issue for determination is- CAN A BRANCH CHAIRMAN DECLINE TO ISSUE A LETTER OF GOOD STANDING TO AN APPLICANT , WHERE APPLICANT TO THE NOTICE OF THE CHAIRMAN, HAS COMPLIED WITH THE PROVISIONS AND STIPULATES OF THE CONSTITUION (sic) IN THAT REGARD ?

May I use this medium to appeal to all our supporters not to be dismayed but to remain not only calm but cheerful . Always trusting in the Faithfulness and Mercies of God and the consistently triumphant forces of GOOD over EVIL I declare to you today , WE SHALL OVERCOME .

THANK YOU
OGUNLANA ADESINA ,ADEMOLA ESQ
13 JUNE 2020

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NBA ELECTIONS: OGUNLANA, AKOREDE, OBASI, SHILLINGS AMONG BIG CASUALTIES

• SEE FULL DETAILS OF OTHER DISQUALIFIED ASPIRANTS

The Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) early today released a list of aspirants who have been provisionally cleared to contest the 2020 NBA National Officers Elections. In a statement posted on the verified NBA official website and signed by Mr. Tawo Eja Tawo SAN and Cordelia Eke, the ECNBA Chairman and Secretary respectively, the committee stated that it received nominations from 43 aspirants for various offices.

The ECNBA noted in the statement dated June 12, 2020 that “At the close of the screening of nominations by a sub-committee of Electoral officers of the ECNBA in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of the Nigerian Bar Association 2015 (as amended) and the Guidelines for the elections made pursuant thereto, twenty-four (24) Aspirants were granted provisional clearance to contest the elections, while nineteen (19) Aspirants were disqualified for various reasons.”

Though the committee did not state the reasons for the disqualifications nor the names of disqualified aspirants, it added that “The disqualified Aspirants have been duly notified of the decision of the electoral officers and their right of Appeal.” The ECNBA also stated that “Any information or objection relevant to the final decision on the eligibility status of the candidates, with supporting documents (where necessary) should reach the ECNBA via email to ecnba2020@gmail.com not later than 4.00PM on the 17th day of June, 2020.”

CITY LAWYER investigations however show that several Bar heavyweights including two incumbent National Officers fell under the ECNBA hammer. Meanwhile, at least three aspirants may coast to victory without firing a shot, no thanks to the disqualification of their opponents. The aspirants that may be returned unopposed include those for the posts of Treasurer, Publicity Secretary and Financial Secretary.

Among those who were hit by the screening exercise is fiery presidential aspirant and former NBA Ikeja Branch Chairman, Mr. Adesina Ogunlana. While his three other competitors were cleared, Ogunlana’s name was conspicuously missing from the list of cleared aspirants.

Another big casualty is incumbent Second Assistant Secretary Chinyere Obasi, who was gunning for the post of Welfare Secretary. Her disqualification, if sustained, may brighten the chances for incumbent Publicity Secretary, Kunle Edun and returnee aspirant, Sabastine Anyia who contested for the position at the last elections. There are indications that another aspirant for the post, Osehon Irehovbude may have also been disqualified.

Also caught in the web of the disqualification exercise is incumbent Assistant Publicity Secretary, Mr. Akorede Habeeb Lawal who was aspiring for the substantive post of Publicity Secretary. The same fate was suffered by Olayinka Sokoya, thus leaving Dr. Rapulu Ernest Nduka as the solitary aspirant for the position.

CITY LAWYER investigations show that the influential and often heatedly contested position of Treasurer may also be clinched without a fight by returnee aspirant, Mercy Ijato Agada following the disqualification of staunch NBA Ikeja Branch bar-woman, Caroline Ibharuneafe. The same is true of the post of Financial Secretary where only Raphael Anagor has been given the all-clear to head for the polls.

Also affected by the wave of disqualifications is prominent Bar-man and Ikorodu Branch power-broker, Mr. S. O. K. Shillings. He was gunning for the post of First Vice President. Another big casualty from the branch is its former Chairman, Mr. Adedotun Habeeb Adetunji who was also vying for the same position.

Meanwhile, the NBA may be bereft of a Third Vice President, as the two aspirants who may have filed their nominations for the position fell under the NBA hammer. They include Messrs Gerald Abonyi and Promise Wobo Iwezor.

The position of Assistant Secretary is likely to be keenly contested, as all three aspirants were given the green light by the ECNBA. They include returnee aspirant Anne Agi, former NBA Lagos Branch Social Secretary, Uche Nwadialo and Osagie Oaikhena of Benin Branch.

It was also a gale of disqualifications among the rank of aspirants for the post of Assistant Publicity Secretary, as three of no less than five aspirants kissed the dust. These include Messrs Henry Chibuike Ugwu of Ihiala Branch, Oladotun Hassan of Epe Branch and Charles Ajiboye of Ikeja Branch.

Meanwhile, three of the presidential aspirants have been cleared to contest for the coveted post, including Mr. Dele Adesina SAN, Dr. Babatunde Ajibade SAN and Mr. Olumide Akpata. All the aspirants for the position of General Secretary were also given the green light to head into the elections. They include Alex Muoka, Joyce Oduah, Okey Ohagba, Nnaemeka Bath Aniche and Christopher Yakemewerigha.

CITY LAWYER investigations show that many of the disqualified aspirants will contest the ECNBA decisions by filing appeals against their disqualification.

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COVID-19: LAWYERS, COALITION SEEK MORATORIUM ON DEATH PENALTY

* CITE LACK OF FAIR TRIALS, POOR LEGAL REPRESENTATION

Lawyers under the aegis of Avocats Sans Frontières France (Lawyers Without Borders France) and the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty have called for a global moratorium against death penalty during the Coronavirus pandemic period.

In a statement made available to CITY LAWYER, the two groups warned that it would be “contradictory and perverse” to carry out executions during the COVID-19 crisis when there are concerted efforts to save lives.

“When the whole world is trying hard to save lives from COVID-19, an execution by the state is contradictory and perverse” said Kevin Miguel Rivera Medina, President of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty.

In the statement, Avocats Sans Frontières France and the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty called on all countries that still use the death penalty to impose a moratorium on death sentences and executions on the ground that fair trials and fair legal representation are impossible to maintain during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The statement reads: “While some countries now sentence people to death by videoconference, as in Nigeria or Singapore, in others the prison restrictions have seriously infringed the rights of those awaiting execution because courts are stalled and law firms are closed. Options to help people whose lives are at risk are decreasing.

“The current global health crisis has demonstrated how profoundly unfair the system has been on people already weakened by their heavy sentence. A lack of visits to people on death row and the inability for lawyers and judges to work normally are all unfair consequences of an ill-equipped system.

“By comparison, those countries that have had the courage during this time to take a step, big or small, towards abolition shows that our world is made better without this archaic, cruel and degrading practice of capital punishment. For example, Cameroon, Kenya, Morocco and Zimbabwe nave granted commutations, which also extended to those sentenced to death.”

The groups note that “This 10 October, civil society will mobilize to celebrate the 18th World Day Against the Death Penalty, which will focus on the right to legal representation and highlight the role of lawyers in protecting those facing the death penalty. A right that is fractured by the health crisis since lawyers are less able to assist their clients and who are also economically weakened.”

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DEMOCRACY DAY: ‘ELECTORAL BANDITRY FUELS INSECURITY, POVERTY’ – OJUKWU

Leading lawyer and former Deputy Director of the Nigerian Law School, Prof. Ernest Ojukwu SAN has take a hard look at Nigeria’s democractic journey, warning that “We can only celebrate the 2020 democracy day as democracy aspirations, dreams and hopes for Nigeria.”

In a press statement made available to CITY LAWYER to mark this year’s Democracy Day, the former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) presidential candidate observed that “electoral banditry has provided the impetus for seriously failed governance on human rights, damaged judiciary, poverty and insecurity,” adding that “What plays out especially at our State and local government levels are massive corruption and executive lawlessness.”

The full text of the statement is below:

We have not done well as a nation with regards to elections and rule of law. Our leaders and politicians have paid lip service to the tenets of democratic principles. There has not been any general elections that has not been hijacked by individuals and groups backed by governments through massive rigging, thuggery and brigandage. The same scenario plays out at party primaries. That culture of stealing and rigging elections has also permeated our other segments of society such as the Nigerian Bar Association at both the National and branch elections.

Many organisations and professional groups have also been enmeshed in rigging election as a way of life in Nigeria including elections of students unions. The Nation has not bled so much as it has in terms of failed democracy as we have witnessed especially since 2004 when we made the first effort to conduct a civilian to civilian transition elections. Our electoral umpire has largely colluded with our bandit political leaders and party men to foist on Nigeria a culture of dishonesty and fraud in the electoral process. We can hardly say that the leaders that emerge through these fraudulent elections were chosen by the people. And that is why they have hardly represented our interests. And because the electoral system and processes were stolen as a matter of course, it has been impossible to use democratic platforms provided in the constitution to check the excesses of mis-governance including recall of elected representatives at all levels.

This singular act of electoral banditry has provided the impetus for seriously failed governance on human rights, damaged judiciary, poverty and insecurity. What plays out especially at our State and local government levels are massive corruption and executive lawlessness. It is a shame that governance has not worked well in Nigeria since the return to civilian rule in 1999. We can only celebrate the 2020 democracy day as democracy aspirations, dreams and hopes for Nigeria.

Please send emails to citylawyermag@gmail.com. Copyright 2018 CITY LAWYER. All materials available on this Website are protected by copyright, trade mark and other proprietary and intellectual property laws. You may not use any of our intellectual property rights without our express written consent or attribution to www.citylawyermag.com. However, you are permitted to print or save to your individual PC, tablet or storage extracts from this Website for your own personal non-commercial use.

VIRTUAL HEARING SUITS: FEDERAL JUDGE, SANs PREDICT OUTCOME AT SUPREME COURT

SUPREME COURT’LL DECLARE SUITS AS ACADEMIC, HYPOTHETICAL – OSIPITAN

By Emeka Nwadioke

A federal judge and some leading jurists today disagreed on the merit of the lawsuits filed at the Supreme Court by Lagos and Ekiti States challenging the constitutionality of virtual hearing by Nigerian courts.

CITY LAWYER had in an exclusive report revealed plans by South West Attorneys-General (SWAG) to seek a constitutional interpretation of virtual court hearings as set out in the National Judicial Council (NJC) Guidelines and sundry Practice Directions issued by heads of courts.

Speaking at an Attorneys-General Colloquium on “Remote hearing and e-filing in Nigeria: A broader perspective and practical, foolproof implementation,” Ekiti State Attorney-General & Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Olawale Fapohunda had said that the Attorneys-General of Lagos, Ondo and Oyo States would head to the Supreme Court to test the constitutionality of remote hearings. Both Lagos and Ekiti States have now filed matters at the Supreme Court asking the apex court to determine the constitutionality of virtual hearings among other reliefs.

No sooner had the CITY LAWYER report hit the newsstands than some senior lawyers lampoon the move by the attorneys-general.

Also speaking today at the Nigerian Bar Association, Lagos Branch webinar on “An engagement with the National Industrial Court of Nigeria on the Practice Directions and Guidelines for Court Sitting 2020,” Justice Benedict Bakwaph Kanyip, President of the court, expressed serious doubts over the merit of the SWAG cases. However, the two panelists that featured on the webinar had differing views on the matter.

While foremost law teacher and expert in evidence law, Prof. Taiwo Osipitan SAN aligned with Justice Kanyip, arguing that no dispute has arisen between the States and the Federation as to justify the attention of the Supreme Court, leading commercial lawyer, Prof. Konyin Ajayi SAN disagreed, arguing that the SWAG suits have merit.

Said Justice Kanyip: “I have not seen the (court) papers. But what was reported in the press was that they had gone to the Supreme Court to ask the Supreme Court to state whether what they are doing is not legal. It is one thing to say, ‘This thing that is being done has injured me.’ It is another thing to say, ‘I have acted; confirm to me that what I did is legal.’ This second example, from what I have gathered, is what has been sent upstairs. I don’t know how – even if it is Federal High Court, as Prof. (Osipitan) said that interpretation of the Constitution is that of the Federal High Court – even if it is Federal High Court, can you go to Federal High Court and say, ‘This thing I have done, validate it for me, tell me its valid.’ I really don’t know. It is something I have been thinking and thinking.”

He added: “I think Section 36 deals with fair hearing, fair trial. We have to also look at whether the virtual sitting, virtual hearing, remote hearing key into that. I really don’t see any reason why we cannot come to the conclusion that fair hearing and fair trial is not hindered by virtual hearing.”

On his part, Osipitan queried the merit of the SWAG suits, saying: “Looking at the issue of disputes, the Supreme Court of Nigeria is the apex court. It has just one original jurisdiction – to determine disputes between the Federation and the States or inter-State disputes, insofar as those disputes depend on existence of rights.

“In other words, not just disputes but disputes that will call into question the rights and duties of the parties. And I keep on asking myself, going to the Supreme Court to seek interpretation of the Constitution against who? Against the Federal Government. What has the Federal Government or the Executive done to warrant being dragged to the Supreme Court?”

Passing his judgement on the SWAG suits, the respected senior advocate declared: “I see that case as very academic and very hypothetical. Granted that the National Assembly wants to amend the Constitution; that itself creates a dispute between a litigant and the National Assembly with respect to the interpretation of the Constitution. If that is the case, that creates a lis, a dispute. But the place to go to is the Federal High Court for issues that have to do with the interpretation and application of the Constitution. The Federal High Court has jurisdiction over such issues.”

On the point made by Justice Kanyip that the SWAG suits turn on a prayer for the Supreme Court to validate earlier acts of Lagos State, Osipitan said: “Supreme Court decides – and indeed all courts decide – live issues, not to give advisory opinion. If what they require is advisory opinion, the journey must start at the Federal High Court – and they now do case stated to the Court of Appeal and to the Supreme Court. But let us see how the Supreme Court will decide the matter.”

Turning to the plan by the National Assembly to amend the Constitution to accommodate virtual hearing, the University of Lagos law teacher said: “I also do not see how the National Assembly could amend the Constitution to insert the aspect of virtual hearing. The Constitution is a very serious document, very very serious. For them to amend it, they will also need the support of the States; in other words, after finishing at the National Assembly, they still must have the support of the State Assemblies. So they have problems with the States that are not going to agree with them. But I do not think that what is happening justifies the amendment of the Constitution; certainly No! We can interpret the Constitution in a purposive and liberal manner, to the extent that wherever you have the word ‘hearing in public,’ it does not mean that members of the public will all be physically there; all they are saying is opportunity to view the proceedings, to follow the proceedings. It is a matter of interpretation; we don’t require any amendment to the Constitution.

“In terms of the dispute they have placed before the Supreme Court, I am afraid they have gone to the wrong court and I can predict that the outcome is likely to be that it is academic, it’s hypothetical and it is outside the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.”

But Ajayi disagreed, saying: “The Constitution must be read in a manner that ensures that there is justice. The Supreme Court has said in a number of cases – including Global Excellence v Duke – that the language of the Constitution, although it doesn’t change, the changing circumstances of the society for which it is designed must yield to new and fuller need. In other words, you change your statutes, you don’t change your Constitution. The point has been made as to what is ‘public’ and what is the purpose of that. You cannot amend the Constitution whenever anything changes
“The question is, is this suit by Lagos State academic? Is it a dispute? Two things arise: One is, can the Supreme Court take an academic matter? It has said over and over again that it does not take academic matters. But then, the jurisprudence of this point is that there is a difference between a hypothetical matter and an academic issue.

“A hypothetical question is taken by a court when it is of public importance. And there are a number of English House of Lords, Supreme Court decisions on that point, that say, they will take a hypothetical question that is of public importance. Let us take this matter for instance; is it a matter of public interest? Yes, it is because it is notionally possible that we would be unable to go to court for two years. So, should there be a determination on the point? I think there should be, because we would have a definite Yes or No on whether all these rules are bad or these rules are good. At the moment, if I go to court A, they may say ‘No;’ I go to court B, they say ‘Yes.’ Or I go to Court of Appeal A, they say ‘Yes,’ but Court of Appeal B says ‘No.’

“The Constitution says the Supreme Court can take a dispute. People have said there is no dispute. So, the jurisprudential question is, ‘What is a dispute?’ Is a dispute a war or is a dispute a difference? And I think there is a difference. Now as to what is allowable, there are judges and there are lawyers and legislatures that have said Section 36 of the Constitution requires a physical building in terms of public. There are people that have said, ‘No, public is the ability of more than the litigant to attend the hearing.’ So, there is that point as to what is the meaning of public.

“The other thing is, in determining what a dispute is, we have to go beyond the narrow confines of ordinary matters that are not of public interest, that are not disputes between economic units of the State. When it comes to the administration of justice, dispute is totally different; it is about the administration of justice, it is also about the ability of the Governor of Lagos to ensure that his executive policies in running the state come to fruition. The Governor of Lagos State is entitled to ensure that the law in Lagos State is one that assures local and domestic investors that in this state there is justice; that in this state, the courts work functionally. He has an interest. These are the public interest issues.”

Fapohunda had while unveiling plans by the South West Attorneys-General to litigate the controversy, said: “Since the National Judicial Council issued its Guidelines for court sittings in this COVID-19 period, we have had a national conversation particularly among justice sector stakeholders on the constitutionality or otherwise of remote court hearings.”

Continuing, the Ekiti State Attorneys-General & Commissioner for Justice said: “Let me however quickly use this opportunity to inform participants that following a resolution of the South West Attorneys-General, the Attorneys-General of Lagos, Ondo and Oyo States have decided to approach the Supreme Court to seek a constitutional interpretation of Section 36(3) & (4) of the 1999 Constitution, particularly as it relates to remote court hearings. We will be filing the necessary papers in the Supreme Court tomorrow.” He added: “We are convinced that a definite pronouncement by the Supreme Court is necessary in order to put the matter at rest once and for all.”

Since the issuance of the NJC Guidelines and several Practice Directions on virtual court hearings, some jurists have argued that virtual hearings violate the 1999 Constitution on the requirement that court hearings must be held in public.

Section 36(3) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution provides as follows:
“(3) The proceedings of a court or the proceedings of any tribunal relating to the matters mentioned in subsection (1) of this section (including the announcement of the decisions of the court or tribunal) shall be held in public.
(4) Whenever any person is charged with a criminal offence, he shall, unless the charge is withdrawn, be entitled to a fair hearing in public within a reasonable time by a court or tribunal:
Provided that –
(a) a court or such a tribunal may exclude from its proceedings persons other than the parties thereto or their legal practitioners in the interest of defence, public safety, public order, public morality, the welfare of persons who have not attained the age of eighteen years, the protection of the private lives of the parties or to such extent as it may consider necessary by reason of special circumstances in which publicity would be contrary to the interests of justice;
(b) if in any proceedings before a court or such a tribunal, a Minister of the Government of the Federation or a commissioner of the government of a State satisfies the court or tribunal that it would not be in the public interest for any matter to be publicly disclosed, the court or tribunal shall make arrangements for evidence relating to that matter to be heard in private and shall take such other action as may be necessary or expedient to prevent the disclosure of the matter.”

Hosted by Mr. Folabi Kuti, a Partner in Perchstone & Graeys, the NBA Lagos Branch webinar also featured former President of Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), Ms. Ayo Obe and Branch Chairman, Mr. Yemi Akangbe.

Please send emails to citylawyermag@gmail.com. Copyright 2018 CITY LAWYER. All materials available on this Website are protected by copyright, trade mark and other proprietary and intellectual property laws. You may not use any of our intellectual property rights without our express written consent or attribution to www.citylawyermag.com. However, you are permitted to print or save to your individual PC, tablet or storage extracts from this Website for your own personal non-commercial use.

JUNE 12: ADEGBORUWA, FAGBOHUNLU, BALLASON HONOUR ODINKALU WITH HUMAN RIGHTS PARLEY

Leading human rights activists will on Friday hold a webinar in honour of foremost civil rights advocate and former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof. Chidi Odinkalu. The webinar is in commemoration of Odinkalu’s birthday anniversary.
Among those who are billed to speak at the webinar are fiery human rights activist, Mr. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN); leading woman activist, Gloria Ballason; outspoken human rights campaigner, Mr. Inibehe Effiong; former Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Young Lawyers’ Forum, Mr. Issa Adedokun and Cynthia Mbamalu of the ‘Not too young to run’ fame.

With Mr. Babatunde Fagbohunlu SAN, Partner and Head of the Litigation, Arbitration and ADR Practice Group at Aluko & Oyebode as Chairman, the webinar has “The Future of Human Rights In Nigeria” as its theme.

With Mr. Orji Ama Chinedu as the arrow-head, Odinkalu said of the conveners: “A bunch of young people whom I have mentored are setting this up as annual event on 12 June. They had wanted to start in 2018 but I told them my mum was in terminal condition. Last year, I told them I was still in mourning. It begins next (this) week. Please feel free to join if you can.”

The webinar is scheduled to hold on Friday, June 12, 2020 at 11:00 am. Prospective participants can register at the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAuf-ypqDIjHtXjmd6dk-__2B3FSxxrhf5A. After registration, a confirmation email would be sent notifying the registrant on hot to join the conference.

Odinkalu is a Senior Team Manager at Open Society Foundations, a global charity that works with local communities to support justice and human rights, freedom of expression, and access to public health and education.

He received his PhD in law from the prestigious London School of Economics and Political Science. Prior to joining Open Society Foundations, Odinkalu was Senior Legal Officer responsible for Africa and Middle East at the International Centre for the Legal Protection of Human Rights in London; Human Rights Advisor to the United Nations Observer Mission in Sierra Leone, and Brandeis International Fellow at the Centre for Ethics, Justice and Public Life of the Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA.

Odinkalu has extensive networks across Africa built up over several years of working for human rights and social justice on the continent. He is associated with several non-governmental and academic institutions within and outside Africa. He is frequently called upon to advise multilateral and bilateral institutions on Africa-related policy, including the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States, and the World Economic Forum.
As well as acting as the Chair of IRRI’s Board, Odinkalu also serves on the Board of the Fund for Global Human Rights. In 2017 he was appointed Steering Committee Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Section of Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL) by the NBA President, leading to the resuscitation of the comatose entity.

Please send emails to citylawyermag@gmail.com. Copyright 2018 CITY LAWYER. All materials available on this Website are protected by copyright, trade mark and other proprietary and intellectual property laws. You may not use any of our intellectual property rights without our express written consent or attribution to www.citylawyermag.com. However, you are permitted to print or save to your individual PC, tablet or storage extracts from this Website for your own personal non-commercial use.

VIRTUAL COURTS SUIT: ‘WHY S/W ATTORNEYS-GENERAL MUST RETRACE STEPS,’ BY UDEMEZUE

The controversy over plans by Attorneys-General of Nigeria’s South West Zone to seek a constitutional interpretation of virtual court hearings has refused to abate.

CITY LAWYER had in an exclusive report noted that there was a move by the six South West attorneys-general to approach the Supreme Court for an interpretation of section 36(3) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution as it relates to virtual court hearings. The Attorneys-General have also come under fire from several jurists including a federal judge for the move.

In this article, Nigerian Law School teacher, Mr. Sylvester Udemezue advises the State chief law officers on how to rework their strategy to have a fighting chance of success with the initiative.

THE BACKGROUND
I recently read of plans by Attorneys-General (AG`s) of Nigeria’s South West Zone to approach the Supreme Court for a judicial interpretation of section 36(3) and (4) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as it relates to virtual court hearing. The report which came under the headline, “Virtual Hearing: South West AG`s Storm Supreme Court Tomorrow” and published by the City Lawyer stated, in part, as follows:

‘Attorneys-General of Nigeria’s South West Zone have resolved to seek a constitutional interpretation of virtual court hearings as set out in the National Judicial Council (NJC) Guidelines and Sundry Practice Directions issued by heads of courts, CITY LAWYER can exclusively report. Speaking today at an Attorneys-General Colloquium on “Remote hearing and e-filing in Nigeria: A broader perspective and practical, foolproof implementation,” Ekiti State Attorney-General & Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Olawale Fapohunda said the Attorneys-General of Lagos, Ondo and Oyo States would head to the Supreme Court tomorrow to test the constitutionality of remote hearings. His words: “Since the National Judicial Council issued its Guidelines for court sittings in this COVID-19 period, we have had a national conversation particularly among justice sector stakeholders on the constitutionality or otherwise of remote court hearings.” Continuing, the leading justice reform advocate said: “Let me however quickly use this opportunity to inform participants that following a resolution of the South West Attorneys-General, the Attorneys-General of Lagos, Ondo and Oyo States have decided to approach the Supreme Court to seek a constitutional interpretation of Section 36(3) & (4) of the 1999 Constitution, particularly as it relates to remote court hearings. We will be filing the necessary papers in the Supreme Court tomorrow. Fapohunda, who was the Host of the webinar organized by Ekiti State Ministry of Justice and LawPavilion, added that “We are convinced that a definite pronouncement by the Supreme Court is necessary in order to put the matter at rest once and for all.’

Lawyers have been speaking on the development, with some giving kudos while some others give their knocks. (see https://citylawyermag.com/2020/06/05/virtual-courts-judge-sans-knock-s-w-attorneys-general-over-supreme-court-suit/). On his part, one respected senior lawyer has suggested that if the National Assembly could have powers to amend the Constitution over the virtual hearing (see “Senate introduces bill to Legalize virtual court proceedings” published on https://www.von.gov.ng/), the planned suit by the Southwest AG`s might not be out of place, as, according to him, it would assist to quickly resolve the matter, to determine whether or not there is any need for constitution amendment in that regard.

MY COMMENT
In my humble opinion, the power of the legislature (in this case, the Nigerian National Assembly) to make laws or to amend any law or the Constitution is clearly different, and as such is distinguishable, from the legal standing (locus standi) of the Attorneys-General to institute an action at the Supreme Court for this purpose. The National Assembly is empowered by section 4(2) of the Constitution to make laws for the order and good governance of Nigeria or any part of it. This power may be exercised any time without the need to wait for any live dispute, real controversy or incident to arise.

On the other hand, it is trite that a Court of Law does not sit over a hypothetical matter, as this amounts to a mere academic exercise. As already settled by the same Supreme Court, for a court’s jurisdiction to hear and determine a case brought before it, can get validly activated, the claimant or applicant must establish that there is a cause of action, and that he (the claimant) has the legal standing to institute the action, although in certain public interest and human right cases, existence of locus standi could be dispensed with.

What cannot be dispensed with, however, is prior existence of a cause of action, and this is because a suit is filed in court for purposes or remedying an wrong allegedly done to the claimant. The existence of a valid action presupposes that (1) a legal right exists which (2) had been violated (3) leading to some injury on a person or thing (4) which is legally remediable. In a long line of cases, including OSHOBA v. AMUDA, (2). MOBIL v. LASEOA, (3) CHEVRON v. LONESTAR, (4). BELLO v. AG, OYO), the Supreme Court has recognized the indispensability of existence of a cause of action (a real controversy) to the activation of the court’s jurisdiction.

In the instance case, based on the aforesaid, if the dream of these AG`s finally becomes a reality, the question that would be thrown up is as regards existence or otherwise of any live dispute or real controversy upon which the Hon AG’s could be said to have filed such a suit before the Supreme Court? I think the AG`s might have an enormous task convincing the Supreme Court that a cause of action actually exists. But there may be an alternative course, where the Supreme Court option fails; the AG’s could persuade or encourage one of the parties to the recently-conducted virtual court hearings in the High Court of Lagos State, to proceed on appeal to challenge the validity of one of the virtual proceedings. Because of the crucial nature of the subject matter, the head of the Court of Appeal would ensure that the case is afforded an accelerated hearing so that whoever loses is further encouraged to move over to the Supreme Court for a final determination. As good as it looks, this approach comes with its own challenges because, under such circumstances, question pertaining to breach of that aspect of Legal Professional Ethics relating to “Instigation of Controversy” might arise. Rule 47 (1) of the RPC expressly admonishes the Legal Practitioner to refrain from fermenting strife or instigating controversy. The Hon AG’s advising a person/party, save their close relations, to institute a law suit or to file an appeal in court, might be viewed as a violation of this Rule.

MY ADVICE
Why not we get the National Assembly to speedily amend the Constitution and thus clear all doubts. During the virtual hearing webinar organized by Law & Society Forum (LaSF) on 29 May, 2020, at which I was a Speaker, I had drawn our attention to the admonition of the Supreme Court in the case of Doherty v Doherty (1968), that use of Writ of Summons should be resorted where there is “uncertainty as to what mode of commencement of action should be used.” Why can’t we, by way of analogy, apply that counsel here. Nigerian lawyers and jurists are evenly divided as to the constitutionality or otherwise of conducting virtual court proceedings in Nigeria without a prior constitution amendment or legal reform, which means that we’ve have arrived a point of uncertainty in regard to the matter. I accordingly respectfully advise us to please err on the side of caution by adopting the approach that would save us much stress, in the long run, especially in view of the ripple effects of the recent decision of the Supreme Court in UDEOGU V FRN (Orji KALU Case) (see https://www.tvcnews.tv/scourt-nullifies-orji-kalus-conviction-orders-fresh-trial/) wherein section 396(7) Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015 was struck down on grounds of its inconsistency with provisions of the Constitution.

Although the procedure for Constitution amendment in Nigeria is not a “moi-moi” matter (not easy; is cumbersome), if these AG’s cooperate with the National Assembly on the matter, it would take less than the next two months to get the Constitution amended to expressly authorize or legalize virtual hearing and thus leave no one in doubt while saving us all future embarrassing controversy. The time and resources the AG’s propose to expend at the Supreme Court over a mere academic exercise that is likely going to be thrown out on grounds of absence of a cause of action or locus standi or both, should be channeled towards rendering necessary cooperation to the National Assembly to do the needful within the shortest possible time. American operatic soprano, Beverly Sills, (1929-2007) once said, “there are no shortcuts to anyplace worth going.”

Respectfully,
SYLVESTER UDEMEZUE (udems)

Please send emails to citylawyermag@gmail.com. Copyright 2018 CITY LAWYER. All materials available on this Website are protected by copyright, trade mark and other proprietary and intellectual property laws. You may not use any of our intellectual property rights without our express written consent or attribution to www.citylawyermag.com. However, you are permitted to print or save to your individual PC, tablet or storage extracts from this Website for your own personal non-commercial use.

VIRTUAL COURTS: JUDGE, SANs KNOCK S/W ATTORNEYS-GENERAL OVER SUPREME COURT SUIT

Attorneys-General of Nigeria’s South West Zone came under searing attack today over plans by the State chief law officers to seek a constitutional interpretation of virtual court hearings.

CITY LAWYER had in an exclusive report noted that there was a move by the six South West attorneys-general to approach the Supreme Court for an interpretation of section 36(3) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution as it relates to virtual court hearings.

Ekiti State Attorney-General & Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Olawale Fapohunda had informed participants at a webinar last Wednesday that the Attorneys-General resolved during a maiden virtual conference to head to the Supreme Court to seek resolution of the controversial virtual hearing provision contained in the National Judicial Council (NJC) Guidelines and sundry Practice Directions issued by heads of courts.

But no sooner had the CITY LAWYER report hit the newsstands than some senior lawyers lampoon the move by the attorneys-general.

Firing the first salvo, foremost Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prosecutor, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs SAN wondered whether the suit would not be a mere academic exercise. He said: “Would the action not be academic?” Continuing, he asked: “Can the Supreme Court entertain academic question not based on any live issue?”

Aligning with Jacobs, Mr. Ayodeji Esan said: “My thoughts exactly. What disputes and between which parties would the court be called upon to adjudicate? Who are the defendants?”

While leading litigator, Mr. Adebayo Adenipekun SAN felt that the issue of parties may be resolved, he aligned with both jurists on the thorny issue of the dispute to be presented to the apex court for resolution. His words: “I have a feeling they will make the Attorney-General of the Federation the defendant. The question will still be ‘what is the dispute?’”

However, speaking at today’s webinar on “Engagement on the Federal High Court Practice Directions and the Protocols on Virtual Hearings 2020” organized by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Lagos Branch, the Administrative Judge of the Federal High Court (Lagos Division), Justice Muhammad Liman was unsparing in thumping down the move by the attorneys-general.

Describing the move as “cavalier,” the leading jurist said: “I do not think the attorneys-general need to go the Supreme Court for any interpretation,” adding that aside from the fact that the NJC did not have the power to make rules for the courts, there was a need to distinguish between the Right to Fair Hearing and public access to court hearings.

Justice Liman stated that both concepts cannot be lumped together, adding that while public hearing “is the limited opportunity the Constitution affords everyone to court hearing,” the challenge thrown up by virtual hearing “is not a serious problem that cannot be ameliorated.”

Aligning himself with Justice Liman’s distinguishing of the two concepts, former Lagos State Attorney-General & Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Olasupo Shasore SAN said that “publicity is the soul of justice.” Citing several judicial authorities, Shasore said the intendment is “to remove the possibility of arbitrariness” and to ensure that the public “have an opportunity of judging the judges.”

Dwelling specifically on constitutional interpretation, the former Lagos State chief law officer cited NAFIU RABIU V STATE in reading the mind of the Supreme Court on constitutional interpretation. “It is an organic document and it does not provide for everything,” he said, adding however that there is a tendency for the courts to seek strict interpretation of the Constitution and statutes.

Other speakers at the NBA Lagos Branch webinar included Mr. Wale Akoni SAN, Mr. Babajide Ogundipe and Mr. Yemi Akangbe.

Speaking at an Attorneys-General Colloquium on “Remote hearing and e-filing in Nigeria: A broader perspective and practical, foolproof implementation,” Fapohunda had said that the Attorneys-General of Lagos, Ondo and Oyo States would on Thursday file a suit at the Supreme Court to test the constitutionality of remote hearings.

His words: “Since the National Judicial Council issued its Guidelines for court sittings in this COVID-19 period, we have had a national conversation particularly among justice sector stakeholders on the constitutionality or otherwise of remote court hearings.”

Continuing, the leading justice reform advocate said: “Let me however quickly use this opportunity to inform participants that following a resolution of the South West Attorneys-General, the Attorneys-General of Lagos, Ondo and Oyo States have decided to approach the Supreme Court to seek a constitutional interpretation of Section 36(3) & (4) of the 1999 Constitution, particularly as it relates to remote court hearings. We will be filing the necessary papers in the Supreme Court tomorrow.”

Fapohunda, who was the Host of the webinar organized by Ekiti State Ministry of Justice and LawPavilion, added that “We are convinced that a definite pronouncement by the Supreme Court is necessary in order to put the matter at rest once and for all.”

Since the issuance of the NJC Guidelines and several Practice Directions on virtual court hearings, some jurists have argued that virtual hearings violate Section 36(3) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution on the requirement that court hearings must be held in public.

Please send emails to citylawyermag@gmail.com. Copyright 2018 CITY LAWYER. All materials available on this Website are protected by copyright, trade mark and other proprietary and intellectual property laws. You may not use any of our intellectual property rights without our express written consent or attribution to www.citylawyermag.com. However, you are permitted to print or save to your individual PC, tablet or storage extracts from this Website for your own personal non-commercial use.

VIRTUAL HEARING: SOUTH WEST AGs STORM SUPREME COURT TOMORROW

Attorneys-General of Nigeria’s South West Zone have resolved to seek a constitutional interpretation of virtual court hearings as set out in the National Judicial Council (NJC) Guidelines and sundry Practice Directions issued by heads of courts, CITY LAWYER can exclusively report.

Speaking today at an Attorneys-General Colloquium on “Remote hearing and e-filing in Nigeria: A broader perspective and practical, foolproof implementation,” Ekiti State Attorney-General & Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Olawale Fapohunda said the Attorneys-General of Lagos, Ondo and Oyo States would head to the Supreme Court tomorrow to test the constitutionality of remote hearings.

His words: “Since the National Judicial Council issued its Guidelines for court sittings in this COVID-19 period, we have had a national conversation particularly among justice sector stakeholders on the constitutionality or otherwise of remote court hearings.”

Continuing, the leading justice reform advocate said: “Let me however quickly use this opportunity to inform participants that following a resolution of the South West Attorneys-General, the Attorneys-General of Lagos, Ondo and Oyo States have decided to approach the Supreme Court to seek a constitutional interpretation of Section 36(3) & (4) of the 1999 Constitution, particularly as it relates to remote court hearings. We will be filing the necessary papers in the Supreme Court tomorrow.”

Fapohunda, who was the Host of the webinar organized by Ekiti State Ministry of Justice and LawPavilion, added that “We are convinced that a definite pronouncement by the Supreme Court is necessary in order to put the matter at rest once and for all.”

Since the issuance of the NJC Guidelines and several Practice Directions on virtual court hearings, some jurists have argued that virtual hearings violate the 1999 Constitution on the requirement that court hearings must be held in public.

Section 36(3) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution provides as follows:
“(3) The proceedings of a court or the proceedings of any tribunal relating to the matters mentioned in subsection (1) of this section (including the announcement of the decisions of the court or tribunal) shall be held in public.
(4) Whenever any person is charged with a criminal offence, he shall, unless the charge is withdrawn, be entitled to a fair hearing in public within a reasonable time by a court or tribunal:

Provided that –
(a) a court or such a tribunal may exclude from its proceedings persons other than the parties thereto or their legal practitioners in the interest of defence, public safety, public order, public morality, the welfare of persons who have not attained the age of eighteen years, the protection of the private lives of the parties or to such extent as it may consider necessary by reason of special circumstances in which publicity would be contrary to the interests of justice;

(b) if in any proceedings before a court or such a tribunal, a Minister of the Government of the Federation or a commissioner of the government of a State satisfies the court or tribunal that it would not be in the public interest for any matter to be publicly disclosed, the court or tribunal shall make arrangements for evidence relating to that matter to be heard in private and shall take such other action as may be necessary or expedient to prevent the disclosure of the matter.”

Other speakers at the webinar were the Managing Director of LawPavillion Business Solutions, Mr. Ope Olugasa and the Group Managing Director of Telnet Nigerian Limited, Mr. Folorunsho Aliu. According to the organisers, participants at the webinar attended by CITY LAWYER included justice sector stakeholders, legal practitioners, court officials, and law enforcement agencies.

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