Former Nigerian Bar Association 2nd Vice President (2018-2020), Prof. Foluke Dada-Lawson has vowed to contest next year’s NBA presidential election notwithstanding reported endorsement of senior lawyer, Mr. Olumuyiwa Akinboro SAN by Egbe Amofin O’odua as its sole aspirant for the coveted seat.

Unconfirmed reports indicate that the influential regional association of lawyers of Yoruba extraction may have thrown its weight behind Akinboro as its sole aspirant following a report of its Screening Committee.

CITY LAWYER however gathered that a defiant Dada-Lawson pointedly told the Egbe leadership at a closed-door meeting that she would not drop her ambition to lead the Bar post-2026 NBA Elections.

There were indications that the Screening Committee may have identified Akinboro and Dada-Lawson as its two choice aspirants, though the committee eventually settled for Akinboro as the sole aspirant for the regional bloc.

Dada-Lawanson reportedly reaffirmed her commitment to the NBA and reiterated that she “remains a bona fide aspirant for the position of President of the Association.

“She expressed her appreciation for the ongoing consultations and support she continues to receive across branches and interest groups nationwide.

“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that while Egbe Amofin may have announced its support for Aare Akinboro, SAN, Professor Foluke Dada-Lawanson has not withdrawn from the race and remains firmly committed to offering herself for service to the Bar.”

CITY LAWYER recalls that the regional association had at its last general meeting in Ibadan appointed a Screening Committee to identify a sole aspirant to be backed by the regional body.

Aside from Akinboro and Dada-Lawson, other presidential aspirants of Yoruba extraction include former NBA Lagos Branch Chairman, Mr. Yemi Akangbe SAN as well as former Chairman of NBA Annual General Conference Planning Committee (AGCPC) and Senior Advocate of Nigeria-designate, Mrs. Oyinkan Badejo-Okusanya.

This is the first time in recent memory that the Egbe is able to hammer out a consensus on a single aspirant to be backed by the regional bloc, though the insistence of Dada-Lawson to shun the association’s endorsement of Akinboro may throw spanner in the works and throw the race wide open for all aspirants.

____________________________________________________________________

(C) CITY LAWYER Magazine. All rights reserved. To join our Channel, click here. Click here to join our WhatsApp chatroom. Contact us at citylawyermag@gmail.com or 081-3838-0083.