IntroductionMr Sylvester Udemezue has published, in City Lawyer Magazine of 1 August 2026, a courteous and carefully arranged reaction to the article “My Lord” or “My Lady”? The Correct Mode of Addressing Female Judges. His civility deserves thanks, and his seriousness deserves a serious answer. But a serious argument is not the same thing as...
THE CONSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENT OF “SCHOOL CERTIFICATE LEVEL OR ITS EQUIVALENT”: DOES THE NON-SUBMISSION OF PRIMARY OR SECONDARY SCHOOL CERTIFICATES DISQUALIFY A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE? The recent publication by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the personal particulars and credentials of candidates for the 2027 Presidential Election has once again reignited public debate over the constitutional...
By Chidi Anselm Odinkalu Around Africa, many associate the job of a judge with the easy life. All they do, they believe, is cozy up to politicians and give them what they want. The reality, however, is a lot harsher and this is not exactly new. When the United Nations adopted the Basic Principles on...
There appears to be some misunderstanding regarding the recent communication from the Registrar of the Supreme Court concerning the use of the title “Barrister.” Some have interpreted the directive to mean that it is now unlawful for anyone to address a legal practitioner as “Barrister.” With respect, I do not believe that is the correct...
THE CORRECT, PROFESSIONAL AND LEGAL FORM OF ADDRESS IN NIGERIA FOR A JUDGE (IRRESPECTIVE OF GENDER) IS “MY LORD” OR “YOUR LORDSHIP” (A Respectful Reaction to the Article by Eyimofe Atake, SAN) By Sylvester Udemezue BACKGROUND In a recent article titled “My Lord or My Lady? The Correct Mode of Addressing Female Judges,” Learned Silk,...
RESPECTED LEARNED SILK BADEJO-OKUSANYA, NOW NBA PRESIDENT-ELECT: WILL YOU ALSO FAIL IN THIS ASSIGNMENT? OR WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT? By Sylvester Udemezue Leadership is not tested by the brilliance of an election campaign; it is tested by the courage, wisdom and character demonstrated after victory. Every election creates expectations. Every mandate imposes responsibility. Every office presents...
By Jamaldeen Bamidele On Saturday,18th July 2026, the Nigerian Bar Association went to the polls to elect its 33rd President. Voting was scheduled to open at midnight, but it did not. In the early hours of election day, the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association announced that its voting platform had come under what...
NBA ELECTIONS: BEYOND CONGRATULATIONS – THE TIME FOR GENUINE ELECTORAL REFORMS AND WEEDING OUT CABALS IS NOW The 2026 Nigerian Bar Association presidential election has come and gone. Winners have emerged and have been duly declared by the allegedly independent Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA). I extend my warm congratulations to every...
BY SOSEIPIRIYE LONG WILLIAMS Following the inability of the NBA PH Branch Electoral Committee to conduct elections to fill in the offices of the Branch executives on 26th June, 2026 by virtue of the order of Hon. Justice Sika Henry Aprioku sitting in Port Harcourt, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mazi Afam Osigwe...
PUBLICATION OF NAMES OF VOTERS IN NBA’S NATIONAL ELECTIONS: ECNBA HAS TAKEN A BOLD STEP. BUT FULL ELECTORAL TRANSPARENCY HAS BECOME NECESSARY By Sylvester Udemezue INTRODUCTIONThe Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) recently recorded what many observers have described as a significant milestone in the evolution of the Association’s electoral process by publishing,...