Plans by Egbe Amoofin Oodu’a to hammer out a consensus arrangement for the forthcoming 2026 Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Elections has again met a brick wall as another presidential aspirant has rejected its endorsement of Mr. Olumuyiwa Akinboro SAN as its sole aspirant.

In a statement on the endorsement, presidential aspirant and former NBA Lagos Branch Chairman, Mr. Yemi Akangbe SAN described Egbe’s decision to endorse Akinboro as “an attempt at an undemocratic imposition by the leadership of Egbe Amoofin Oodu’a.”

CITY LAWYER recalls that Prof. Foluke Dada, another presidential aspirant of Yoruba extraction, was the first to pooh-pooh Egbe’s endorsement of Akinboro, saying: “This serves to clarify that while Egbe Amofin may have announced its support for Aare Akinboro, SAN, Professor Foluke Dada-Lawanson has not withdrawn from the race and remains firmly committed to offering herself for service to the Bar.”

Saying that “no form of screening exercise took place in adopting a candidate nor was any objective parameter set by the Committee prior to coming to its decision,” the Bar Leader noted that his ambition to become the next NBA President remained intact.

His words: “In view of this development, I wish to inform everyone that my aspiration to run for the highest office in the NBA has not changed and I remain committed to seeing my ambition through in the interest of the legal profession in Nigeria.”

He urged his “supporters, loyalists, friends, associates both within and outside the Egbe Amofin Oodu’a to discountenance the adoption of any aspirant as the sole candidate of the Yoruba or South West at the forthcoming election as the decision is that of a minority through a most undemocratic and pre-determined process.”

While this is the first time in recent history that Egbe is able to hammer out a consensus arrangement for its presidential aspirants, there are concerns that the rejection of the process by most of the presidential aspirants may torpedo the plan.

Below is the full text of the statement.

RE: STATEMENT OF LATEEF OMOYEMI AKANGBE SAN; ON THE ADOPTION OF A SOLE CANDIDATE FOR NBA PRESIDENT by EGBE AMOOFIN OODU’A

Following the recent decision of the Egbe Amoofin Oodu’a to adopt one candidate as its sole candidate for the forthcoming NBA 2026 Presidential Elections, there have been a lot of questions and enquiries by my supporters, associates and well wishers about the process that led to that outcome. To that end , it has become necessary to clarify this issue and set the records straight.

As a responsible member of the Egbe Amoofin Oodu’a, I hereby confirm that a 5-member committee (the Committee) was set up by the leadership of Egbe Amoofin Oodu’a with the sole mandate of prevailing on all Yoruba aspirants to produce a consensus candidate from the South West for the office of the NBA President in the forthcoming elections.

The Committee met with the aspirants individually and then collectively with a view to producing a sole candidate. The Committee, however, failed to achieve their mandate, as none of the aspirants, was willing to step down.

I made it clear, at all times during the deliberations that any process that was undemocratic or predetermined to achieve a set outcome would be unacceptable to me.

I wish to state without fear of contradiction that no form of screening exercise took place in adopting a candidate nor was any objective parameter set by the Committee prior to coming to its decision. I therefore consider this decision as an attempt at an undemocratic imposition by the leadership of Egbe Amoofin Oodu’a.

In view of this development, I wish to inform everyone that my aspiration to run for the highest office in the NBA has not changed and I remain committed to seeing my ambition through in the interest of the legal profession in Nigeria.

I, urge all my supporters, loyalists, friends, associates both within and outside the Egbe Amofin Oodu’a to discountenance the adoption of any aspirant as the sole candidate of the Yoruba or South West at the forthcoming election as the decision is that of a minority through a most undemocratic and pre-determined process.

I re-emphasize that my aspiration to contest for the Presidency of the NBA in 2026 remains intact.

Thank you for your support and well wishes.

LATEEF OMOYEMI AKANGBE SAN, FCIArb(UK)
Former Chairman, NBA Lagos Branch

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