Justice Anthony Olotu Akpovi has cleared the air on the controversial Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL) Annual Conference scheduled for tomorrow, warning that his order stopping the conference remains intact.

In a ruling obtained by CITY LAWYER and issued by the Delta State High Court judge following yesterday’s hearing on the lawsuit brought by the factional NBA-SPIDEL Executive Committee, the court held that “The implication is that my interim order of 9/7/24 subsist (sic) until 30/7/24 the next hearing date.”

Justice Akpovi had on 9th July barred NBA from proceeding with the planned SPIDEL Annual Conference pending the determination of an application brought by the factional NBA-SPIDEL executive members who urged the court to upturn an NBA National Executive Council resolution dismissing them from office and appointing a Caretaker Committee in their stead.

A fierce bid by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) leadership to lift the court order met a brick wall yesterday, as the factional SPIDEL Executive Committee battled against the efforts.

Following the court order obtained by the factional SPIDEL Executive Committee barring NBA from going ahead with its planned SPIDEL Annual Conference scheduled for tomorrow, the NBA had filed a flurry of processes aimed to arrest the order.

Among the processes filed by its Lead Counsel, Mr. Ama Etuwewe SAN were a Notice of Appeal against the interim order; a motion to stay enforcement of the order; a counter-affidavit in opposition to the motion for interlocutory injunction against the conference, and a counter-affidavit in opposition to the originating summons as well as a written address.

When the matter came up for hearing, factional SPIDEL Chairman and former NBA First Vice President, Mr. John Aikpokpo-Martins told the court that he was served with the four processes yesterday evening, adding that he needed time to respond to the processes.

Etuwewe however urged the court to vacate the interim order to enable the NBA-SPIDEL Annual Conference to hold as planned.

Aikpokpo-Martins countered, saying that SPIDEL could not be associated with the conference because it was being organised by non-SPIDEL members who compose the controversial Caretaker Committee.

He argued that the Caretaker Committee had been running SPIDEL bank account, adding that the factional Executive Committee could not condone such travesty.

After fierce arguments which lasted about two hours, the parties agreed to consolidate the notice of preliminary objection and the originating summons. The case was adjourned to 30th July, 2024 for hearing of the substantive originating summons and the preliminary objection.

CITY LAWYER recalls that the factional SPIDEL Executive which was dismissed by the NBA National Executive Council at its meeting in Jos had brought a lawsuit urging the court to annul the controversial NBA-NEC resolution.

The Executive Committee members are also questioning the qualification of the Caretaker Committee members, saying they are not registered members of SPIDEL and that their appointment violates the NBA Constitution.

The plaintiffs had also taken out Form 48 and vowed to commit to prison any person that attempts to proceed with the planned SPIDEL Annual Conference and Elections in violation of the interim court order.

Meanwhile, CITY LAWYER gathered today that the plaintiffs have also taken out Form 48 against the NBA-SPIDEL Caretaker Committee Chairman, Mr. Steve Adehi SAN and Mr. Yakubu Philemon SAN. Another Form 48 had earlier been addressed to NBA President, Mr. Yakubu Maikyau SAN.

Though a reliable source told CITY LAWYER that the NBA leadership planned to go ahead with tomorrow’s conference as planned, this could not be confirmed at press time.