The controversial Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL) Annual Conference which held recently at NBA House in Abuja may not have been formally presented to the NBA National Executive Committee for approval, CITY LAWYER can report.

CITY LAWYER investigation shows that NBA President, Mr. Yakubu Maikyau SAN may have held the planning and execution of the annual conference very close to his chest, only informing officers on a need-to-know basis.

At least four National Officers have vowed that Maikyau did not formally seek the approval of the the Executive Committee for the annual conference.

NBA Second Vice President, Mr. Clement Chukwuemeka told CITY LAWYER that “The 2nd Vice President, being a Democrat, can never disrespect any court ruling. I am not aware of any SPIDEL conference; we as EXCO have not discussed nor contemplated any issue in respect of any SPIDEL conference.”

Embattled NBA Treasurer Caroline Anze-Bishop echoed similar views, stating that “the NBA National Officers never met or decided to have any SPIDEL Conference yesterday. So please count me out of the shameful illegality that went down yesterday in our collective name.”

Assistant General Secretary Daniel Ayi-Kip stated that “the subsistence of such an (interim) order and the propriety of proceeding with the NBA-SPIDEL Conference in defiance to the said Order has never been a subject of any deliberation at the National Executive Committee level.”

On his part, incumbent Assistant Publicity Secretary Charles Ajiboye had penned a disclaimer on the conference following an election eve backlash which trailed his email to lawyers while announcing the conference.

According to Ajiboye whose political ambition may have taken a hit from the SPIDEL annual conference debacle, “I was not privy to the planning of the SPIDEL Conference nor was I served with the Court Order directing it not to hold.”

Efforts by CITY LAWYER to get the views of the NBA leadership on the claims by the National Officers proved abortive as NBA Publicity Secretary Habeeb Lawal did not respond to enquiries.

NBA General Secretary Adesina Adegbite, First Vice President Linda Bala and Third Vice President Amanda Asagba did not proffer any opinion on the controversy when contacted by CITY LAWYER.

It is recalled that the SPIDEL Annual Conference held on July 18 notwithstanding a Delta State High Court order barring the NBA from proceeding with the scheduled conference.

The factional NBA-SPIDEL Executive Committee that was dismissed by the NBA National Executive Council (NBA-NEC) during its quarterly meeting in Jos, had issued Form 49 processes against Maikyau and  Mr. Ben Oji, the Secretary of the NBA-SPIDEL Caretaker Committee, to show cause why they should not be committed to prison for disobeying a subsisting court order.

Form 48 processes were also issued against Lawal and Ajiboye among others for their alleged roles in facilitating the conference.

WHAT NBA NATIONAL OFFICERS ARE SAYING

CLEMENT CHUKWUEMEKA, SECOND VICE PRESIDENT

When the word EXCO is used by some persons, they are actually referring to the PRESIDENT of the Bar, and not National Officers.

The 2nd Vice President, being a Democrat, can never disrespect any court ruling. I am not aware of any SPIDEL conference; we as EXCO have not discussed nor contemplated any issue in respect of any SPIDEL conference. The few activities recently organized by the President of the Bar, no National Officer, except the Publicity Secretary, was notified of same.

Currently, the NBA is run by the President and the Publicity Secretary, and they have decided to continue with the same trajectory forever and ever. But I am happy that our tenure must come to an end in less than a month; if they like, they can seek for extension of tenure. For me, I am already  an outgoing National Officer.

Let it be known by all seniors and juniors at the Bar that I, Clement Chukwuemeka, the 2nd Vice President of NBA, do not and will never support impunity and disrespect to any court in the land. I made it known to all, in my last memo to the President, that I am not in support of the ordeal of SPIDEL being cooked and served by the President. And I am aware that other National Officers are not in support, too.

With all humility, I would like all lawyers to read the memo which is already online to appreciate my stand on all these issues.

NBA was given to a wrong hand indeed!

CAROLINE LADIDI ANZE-BISHOP

It is no longer news that the NBA President has been running our Association all by himself along with probably a few favourites on the Executive Committee.

The supposed National Executive Committee was only formally informed of the Court Suspended SPIDEL Conference yesterday on the National Officers platform by copy and paste method, courtesy of the duo of the Publicity Secretary and his Assistant and we (the other National Officers, I guess) were “invited” to join “virtually” as it was with the case of the NBA-SARC and NBA-NHI seminars this Tuesday and Wednesday. We equally saw the notice of the NBA-NHI event as pasted that same Wednesday morning on our National Officers Platform, and even when I queried the belated notice of the never before heard or discussed events, and followed up same with a notice of the Court Order, my query and caution was as usual met with deafening silence.

To answer your question straight, the NBA National Officers never met or decided to have any SPIDEL Conference yesterday. So please count me out of the shameful illegality that went down yesterday in our collective name. I took the pain of posting this same information of a subsisting order against the contemplated SPIDEL Conference after the Assistant Publicity Secretary’s invite was shared on our Official EXCO platform by his Boss and my intervention yet stands ignored. You can say that the SPIDEL Conference happened with the say-so of our dearly beloved President and  I am sure he has a solid reason for authorizing its occurrence even in the face of an order of Court; but feel free to simply overlook my harmless words Sir, seeing as I am neither the face or mighty voice of the Bar. I think though that we cannot keep changing the goalpost of our norms any time we like and just because we can, by a given privilege, do so. We also pride ourselves as Ministers in the temple of law and justice and now’s the time to demonstrate our mettle of servitude and let the Law take its rightful course ASAP. Selah!.

DANIEL AYI-KIP

I have not been served any Court Order from the Delta State High Court barring the holding of the NBA SPIDEL conference and I have not sighted any. I only read on some blogs that an Order was obtained. Also, the subsistence of such an order and the propriety of proceeding with the NBA-SPIDEL Conference in defiance to the said Order has never been a subject of any deliberation at the National Executive Committee level. I am a proud member of SPIDEL but I am not an Executive of the Session. I cannot comment on this matter any further due to the foregoing. The Executives of the Session probably are in the best position to explain.

CHARLES AJIBOYE (EXCERPTS)

I must dissociate myself from the content of this morning’s email. It was already scheduled to be sent before the news of the Court Order. I was not privy to the planning of the SPIDEL Conference nor was I served with the Court Order directing it not to hold. The email was scheduled in accordance with instructions as demanded by my constitutional roles. However, I abstained from attending the SPIDEL conference on personal convictions, believing it is our responsibility as members of the NBA to uphold the sanctity of the courts regardless of circumstances.