The Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL) has declared a dispute with NBA President, Mr. Yakubu Maikyau SAN.

Meanwhile, there are strong indications that Maikyau is yet to brief National Officers on his high-profile face-off with SPIDEL since his January 31, 2024 letter to SPIDEL directing it to pause all its activities. A National Officer told CITY LAWYER that the matter has not been discussed by the National Executive Committee.

In a notice obtained by CITY LAWYER and signed by Mr. John Aikpokpo-Martins and Ms. Funmilola Adeogun, SPIDEL’s Chairman and Secretary respectively, the section “prays the National Executive Council of the Association (with the recusal of the NBA President, he being an interested party to this dispute/misunderstanding) to take action in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of the Association and/or refer same for dispute resolution.”

Titled “NOTIFICATION OF A STATE OF MISUNDERSTANDING/DISPUTE BETWEEN THE SECTION ON PUBLIC INTEREST (SPIDEL) AND THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT: A REQUEST TO ACTIVATE THE DISPUTE RESOLUTION MECHANISM,” the letter was directed to the National Executive Council through the NBA General Secretary.

SPIDEL declared that “the Executive Committee of the Section on Public Interest and Development Law (now referred to simply as SPIDEL) is in a state of misunderstanding/dispute with the office of the President of the Association.”

It set out the issues between the parties to include:

1. Whether the SPIDEL being a Section of the Association is constitutionally mandated to seek the prior approval of the President of the Association before SPIDEL can design and execute its lawful activities.

2. Whether the President has the power to purportedly suspend the activities of SPIDEL, being a Section of the Association.

SPIDEL stated that “in a review of the situation and circumstances, the Executive Committee of SPIDEL came to the inescapable conclusion that there is no immediate possibility of amicably resolving the prevailing misunderstanding/dispute.”

Saying that “SPIDEL desires an amicable resolution of this unfortunate misunderstanding,” it called for the “activation of the dispute resolution mechanism of the Association.”

CITY LAWYER recalls that there has been a face-off between the leadership of SPIDEL and the NBA President following an allegation by Maikyau that SPIDEL was “undermining” his authority, a charge SPIDEL denies.

The section had dragged the Minister of Art, Culture and Creative Economy Hannatu Musawa and media personality Kenny Ogungbe to court for allegedly violating the National Youth Service Corps Act.

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