The National Executive Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA-NEC) is currently having an Emergency Meeting over the crisis rocking the Mr. Olumide Akpata Administration, CITY LAWYER can authoritatively report.

A source at the meeting told CITY LAWYER that one of the issues that may be considered by the meeting is whether to impeach the embattled General Secretary of the association, Joyce Oduah for “utter disrespect of the entire National Officers and for refusing to carry out the directives of the NBA-NEC.”

Several National Officers told CITY LAWYER that they were aggrieved with the General Secretary’s refusal to issue approved notice of meeting for the NBA Annual General Meeting (AGM) as resolved by the NBA-NEC.

A ranking National Officer told CITY LAWYER that the last straw was the withdrawal of the AGM Notice by the General Secretary, adding that “It is a huge disrespect to National Officers. If any National Officer exceeds his or her powers, there are bound to be sanctions. Several options are open to us.”

CITY LAWYER also gathered that the NBA-NEC is worried that Oduah may continue with her “disruptive attitude,” adding that “No-one knows what she would do next. This has to be dealt with.”

There are however indications that some National Officers are not certain about the constitutionality of the impeachment move. “I do not know whether we have such powers. But rest assured that whatever we do will be based on law and the NBA Constitution,” a National Officer told CITY LAWYER, adding that “We will not take any arbitrary decision, notwithstanding the egregious and longstanding infractions of the General Secretary.”

When CITY LAWYER contacted Oduah, she said she was not invited to the meeting. “I have not received any Notice of Meeting,” she said. “I believe it was a virtual meeting. No ZOOM link was sent to me. At any rate, I am the one who should issue any Notice of Meeting. It is like shaving one’s head in his absence.”

Oduah also queried the legality of the planned impeachment, saying “The National Executive Committee has no such powers. It is only the NBA-NEC or the General Meeting that can remove an officer. This is not about me but about the office of the General Secretary.”

CITY LAWYER recalls that Akpata issued a disclaimer against a notice by Oduah withdrawing earlier notices by her and the Assistant General Secretary, Uche Nwadialo.

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