WHO WINS NBA PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS 2024?

BY AYO ADEMILUYI

Three Candidates have been cleared by the Seun Abimbola SAN-led Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) for the 2024 NBA PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS. They are Afam Osigwe SAN of NBA Abuja Branch , Chukwuka Ikwuazom SAN of Lagos Branch and Tobenna Erijokwe of NBA Lagos Branch.

In a dramatic twist, Joyce Oduah, immediate past General Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association was disqualified by the ECNBA on the ground that her contest violates the provision of the Constitution of the Nigerian Bar Association (2019 as amended) to the effect that a National officer of the statute of General Secretary can only run 7 years after holding such a national office. Her appeal at the Elections Appeal Committee has equally been dismissed, leaving her with the only option of approaching the Courts, which she has sworn to do in a recent public statement.

AFAM OSIGWE SAN: THE CANDIDATE TO BEAT?

Clearly, except a “miraculous” comeback of Joyce Oduah, the boxing ring for the NBA PRESIDENCY is set for 3 candidates, earlier highlighted above.

Without being immodest, pundits have opined that Afam Osigwe SAN is the candidate to beat in the forthcoming Presidential elections. Apart from the huge credentials of experience of being a former General Secretary of the Association, there are strong opinions to the effect that Afam Osigwe SAN is the “anointed candidate” of Austin Alegeh SAN, the “Kingmaker” of the Nigerian Bar Association, whom pundits believe has been producing candidates from back-to-back since his emergence as President of the NBA in 2014. It is also a notorious fact that Afam Osigwe SAN served as General Secretary of Austin Alegeh SAN during his reign as President between 2014-2016.

However, pundits are of the view that Afam Osigwe SAN’s road to being “anointed” is a chequered one. It will be recalled that he was disqualified at his first attempt at NBA PRESIDENCY in 2018, with many bookmakers holding the view that this led to a “discord” of a sort between him and his former Principal.

However, pundits have observed that Afam Osigwe SAN has reconciled with his former Principal, given his unbroken hold on the Presidential throne of the Nigerian Bar Association. Needless to say, the reconciliation has brought Osigwe SAN many perks and privileges. Within the 8 years’ interlude, he has taken Silk and now appears the top contender for the Number 1 position in the Nigerian Bar Association.

ALEGEH SAN’S SUPPORT FOR AFAM OSIGWE SAN’S PRESIDENTIAL BID SPLITS THE
“ALEGEH-ISTS”

However, the falcon seems not to hear the falconer, “things have fallen apart” in the camp of the “ALEGEH-ists”, the Orthodox followers of Austin Alegeh SAN who see the 2026 Presidential election as “compensation” for their unalloyed loyalty to their leader, Austin Alegeh SAN.

This explains why Tobenna Erijokwe is in the Presidential race, despite the fact that pundits believe Afam Osigwe SAN is the “anointed” candidate of Austin Alegeh SAN. Indeed, pundits opine that Tobenna Erijokwe is a candidate of the Akpata-ists, a splinter group of the ALEGEH-ists led by the immediate past President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Olumide Akpata who is now running as Labour Party candidate in the imminent Edo State Gubernatorial Election.

Pundits observed an acrimony of a sort that developed with Olumide Akpata, who is a follower of Austin Alegeh SAN himself and rode to power on the back of a united family of the ALEGEH-ists. The “acrimony” is believed not to be unconnected with the events that trailed the last days of Olumide Akpata as President of the Nigerian Bar Association in the Body of Benchers. The dust is yet to settle in the hallowed Chambers of the Body of Benchers which accounts for the ongoing war of attrition between Chief Adegboyega Awomolo SAN and Alegeh himself. However, that is another issue entirely and not the focus of this analysis.

The first manifestation of split within the ranks of the ALEGEH-ists was in the battle for the Chairmanship of Lagos Branch, which all pundits have come to believe is the beachhead of winning NBA PRESIDENCY. Olumide Akpata outrightly supported the candidacy of Mayowa Owolabi against the candidacy of Bisi Makanjuola, whom many believed is supported by Chukwuka Ikwuazom SAN – for the obvious reason of gaining home support for his NBA PRESIDENTIAL ambition.

For events that have become history, Bisi Makanjuola in a dazzling razzmatazz beat Mayowa Owolabi, the Akpata-ist, in a grand display of show of force by Chukwuka Ikwuazom SAN that he still has a deep hold on the voting structures of his Branch as a former Chairman of the Branch between 2017 and 2019. Both Tobenna Erijokwe and Olumide Akpata, the godfathers of Mayowa Owolabi, are veterans of the Section of Business Law of NBA and never commanded leadership of NBA Lagos like Chukwuka Ikwuazom SAN. As they say, all politics is local.

The defeat of the Akpata-ists in the local NBA Lagos Branch election did not deter them from pressing forward with their Presidential election. However, the question that is on the lips of many pundits is: Can mere repetition of the “political thunder” of Olumide Akpata by Tobenna Erijokwe that “he is not a SAN” and his impressive innovations and use of contemporary social media platforms as Chairman of the Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE) jell for Tobenna Erijokwe?

The answer is in varied forms. One, Tobenna Erijokwe would have given Afam Osigwe SAN run for his money if Chukwuka Ikwuazom SAN is not in the race. By contesting from the same Branch, the duo have split the votes from the Branch into two and made the job of winning the election easier for Afam Osigwe SAN.

Two, Olumide Akpata rode to power on the back of vigorous efforts of a united family of the ALEGEH-ists and his local Branch, the NBA Lagos Branch. However , the split in the ranks of the ALEGEH-ists at the top has also split the ranks of Lagos Branch members into two, especially among the Orthodox Akpata-ists, die-hard canvassers and followers of Olumide Akpata in his PRESIDENTIAL BID, who are now divided into new day Ikwuazom-ites and Tobenna-ites.

WHAT’S THE DYNAMICS BEHIND CHUKWUKA IKWUAZOM SAN’S PRESIDENTIAL BID?

For pundits, Chukwuka Ikwuazom SAN ‘s entry and traction in the 2024 Presidential race is a new day phenomenon. What is not well known especially to recent observers of NBA national politics is the fact that Chukwuka Ikwuazom SAN played a major back-end role in the Presidential candidacy of Dr. Babatunde Ajibade SAN in the last NBA 2020 elections. However, Dr. Babatunde Ajibade SAN’s contest in the 2020 election could not gain much traction due to the unity and strength of the ALEGEH-ists that drove the Akpata’s campaign. Two is also the fact that the Learned Silk as well as Dele Adesina SAN were swimming against the tide of “anti-SAN” sentiment whipped up by the campaigners of Olumide Akpata. Yet he came second, leaving the perennial contestant in person of Dele Adesina SAN to a distant third. In fact, many pundits believe that Dr. Ajibade SAN’s contest was a reply of a section of lawyers of Yoruba extraction to the perennial contest of Dele Adesina SAN.

Aside this, Chukwuka Ikwuazom SAN is also not a newcomer in NBA politics. His Chairmanship of NBA Lagos Branch between 2017 and 2019 is still regarded as a sterling performance. He has equally demonstrated his strong grip of the local voting structures by installing a Chairman of his making in person of the incumbent Chairman, Bisi Makanjuola. He outsmarted the combined energy of Olumide Akpata as immediate past President and Tobenna Erijokwe, who is no political lightweight and a rival in the Presidential election, to the game.

In other words, Chukwuka Ikwuazom SAN and the dynamo behind his Presidential campaign is a phenomenon to study for political pundits in the NBA. What is clear is that his campaign rests on two pillars. Clearly, he is a candidate of a section of the Bar who are totally aggrieved of the perennial hold of the ALEGEH-ists on power at the Centre. Two, he is a forerunner of a comeback of Dr. Babatunde Ajibade SAN in the NBA 2026 Presidential election, which is zoned to the West. A victory for Ikwuazom SAN would mean an break of the hold of the ALEGEH-ist dynasty in the NBA. For sure, whoever wins between Tobenna Erijokwe and Afam Osigwe SAN would mean a continuation of the ALEGEH-ist dynasty as they have roots traceable to the dynasty.

However, pundits have been observing how his campaign tactics can land him the Presidential job. No doubt, he has shown tremendous energy transversing the length and breadth of the country in his capacity as the incumbent Chairman of the Security Agencies ‘Relations’ Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association. His Committee ‘s organising of Town Hall Meetings – starting with that of Western Zone in Lagos – is a masterstroke, powerfully going over the virtual-only contact method used by Tobenna Erijokwe.

However, his campaign handlers have not deployed any serious reply to the volley of virtual webinars doled out ceaselessly by Tobenna Erijokwe. In short, they have left the arena of massive use of the internet for continuing legal education as a means of electoral campaign to Tobenna Erijokwe, who is winning converts daily by such means to his fold.

With Tobenna Erijokwe in the race, Chukwuka Ikwuazom SAN’s bloc votes that should have come from the NBA Lagos Branch is split. He would be in better standing if he can appeal to his brother from the same home town, NNEWI to be precise, to “step down” for him.

The possibility or otherwise of that is left for events and destiny to determine. However, given the rugged determination by Tobenna Erijokwe thus far, it looks more like a remote possibility. If it were to be the case, a straight contest between Ikwuazom SAN and Afam Osigwe SAN would have seen Ikwuazom SAN winning the race, with the traction he is gaining among lawyers for his vigorous campaign against brutalization of lawyers.

IS AFAM OSIGWE SAN COASTING HOME TO VICTORY?

Without holding brief for Afam Osigwe SAN, bookmakers are of the view that with two contestants from NBA Lagos Branch, his job has been made simpler.

However, given the traditional campaign style he is utilising, it has little or no shine, especially among young lawyers who have experienced the innovative and modern campaign style of Olumide Akpata, which is now being taken to vigorous levels by Tobenna Erijokwe. The resentment of non-Silks against Silks still exist and runs deep in the Bar which can see a surge in votes for Tobenna Erijokwe against the duo of Afam Osigwe SAN and Chukwuka Ikwuazom SAN.

The campaign handlers of Afam Osigwe SAN needs to do a complete overhauling of their campaign tactics in order not to be taken unaware by the thunderstorm that lies ahead .

Whoever wins the Presidential election will clearly be a reminder that power is transient as the ALEGEH-ist hold on power at the centre in the NBA fades away slowly but surely like the morning dew.

• AYO ADEMILUYI ESQ is a Bar Activist and the views canvassed herein are his personal views and not the positions of the Groupings he belongs to in the Nigerian Bar Association. 

To join our CITY LAWYER Channel on WhatsApp, click here

To join our Telegram platform, click here 

COPYRIGHT 2022 CITY LAWYER. Please send emails to citylawyermag@gmail.com. Join us on Facebook at https://web.facebook.com/City-Lawyer-Magazine-434937936684320 and on “X” (TWITTER) at https://twitter.com/CityLawyerMag. To ADVERTISE in CITY LAWYER or for Special Features, please email citylawyermag@gmail.com or call 08138380083.

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.

________________________________________________________________________________