Ayodele Olalere
The once peaceful Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, Ikeja Branch, is currently in a quagmire, following a petition against the Caretaker Committee of the branch.
The ‘Tiger Branch,’ as it is known, is enmeshed in leadership tussle, as the election, which is supposed to usher in a new leadership of the bar, following the expiration of the Dele Oloke tenure, is marred by alleged insurbordination, disregard to the directive of the national body of the NBA, impunity and professional misconduct by the committee.
The election into the leadership of the branch was supposed to hold in June. However, the electoral commitee could not conduct the election as a result of series of petitions against it by some members of the branch.
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The aggrieved members’ position was based on the disqualification of one of the two candidates, vying for the chairmanship post, Seyi Olawunmi, on the ground that he was not eligible to contest for the post, having served as executive member in the past administrations.
His disqualification meant only the other candidate, Mr. Akeem Aponmade, was eligible to contest, and subsequently cleared by the electoral committee.
The electoral committee, had based its decision to disqualify Seyi on the decision taken by the NBA in 2016 at its Jos and Benin National Executive Council, NEC, meetings where it was decided that the 2015 Uniform By Laws, Article 6(3) should guide any NBA election.
Article 6(3) of the Uniform Bye-law provides that if any member has held two offices in the branch, he or she must wait for at least five years from the end of the last office before he would be eligible to contest for another office.
Seyi has held two offices, the last of which ended in 2016. He was at a time the social secretary and later secretary of the branch.
In spite of strictly following the provisions, the electoral committee, led by Mr. Bisi Adejuyigbe (SAN), was dissolved and a caretaker committee was set up by the national body.
The new committee, however, allegedly went ahead to clear Seyi, in violation of Article 6(3) of the Bye Laws. It also allegedly issued a notice on September 11, 2020 to conduct the election on September 25, 2020, a 16-day notice, which was in violation of the NBA guidelines, which prescribe a 30-day notice for any election.
As a result, a petition was written to the President of the NBA for disciplinary actions to be taken against members of the caretaker committee, led by Mr. Bisi Ademuwagun, and other members; Monday Ubani, Carolyn Ibeh, Mr. Adebamigbe Omole, and Alhaja Fausat Bakare, for “professional misconduct, bordering on reckless and total disregard for the provisions of the 2015 Bye Laws, UBL, resolutions and decisions of NEC.
The petition, written and signed by Richard Okonkwo, urged the national president to discipline members of the caretaker committee for violating the NBA rules.
“The caretaker committee, upon assumption of office in an explicable twist arrogantly deviated from its original mandate in a singular pursuit of an outlandish project designed to override the UBL.
“During the virtual meeting of the NBA, Ikeja branch held on September 7, 2020, the chairman of the committee gave a notice of the branch elections to be held on September 25, 2020. This is far cry from the 30 days provided by the UBL. This is an affront to Article 17(1) of the UBL, and narrows down to a 16 day notice,” the petition stated.
It added, “At the said meeting, despite several reminders, conveying the mandatory application of Article 6(3) to the caretaker committee, its response clearly pointed to the fact that it was bent on not applying Article 6(3) retroactively. This, however, is for a targeted purpose.”
The petition stated that the action by the committee was allegedly to pave way for Seyi Olawumi, the already disqualified chairmanship aspirant, to contest the election.
“The reason being that their anointed candidate, who served in the social secretary of the branch from 2010 to 2012 and more recently, as the secretary of the branch between 2014 to 2016, was caught in the web of Article 6(3). This is an attempt to ridicule and rubbish the provisions of the UBL, the NEC resolutions and treat the directives of the national body with unmitigated disrespect and disdain.
“Despite the very clear directives contained in the official letters of the national signed by the then secretary, Mr. Taidi, and dated August 5, 2010, the committee went ahead and cleared the said Mr. Seyi Olawumi to run for the office of the chairman of the Ikeja branch in absolute breach of our laws, apparently to spite the NBA national. What a reckless affront!”
The petition accused the caretaker committee of “creating a new constitution for itself to drive its personal agenda, new guidelines and new rules for the forthcoming NBA election, very different and in violation of the guidelines given by the national body.”
The petition urged the national president of the association to ensure strict adherence to its laws and commence disciplinary actions against the committee.
“It is my firm contention that the national body must interrogate this growing menace and professional rascality of lawyers, challenging the authority of the national at the slightest provocation, disdainfully disregarding and rubbishing the office of the entire executive.
“It is my contention that this whole episode amounts to a classical instance of professional misconduct and ought to be punished to serve as a warning to other reckless individuals, who may tomorrow in their little worlds want to ridicule the NBA as an institution.
“The national should set in motion appropriate disciplinary machinery to seriously investigate these complaints and take very drastic steps to arrest this negative, evolving attitude of lawlessness, impunity and recklessness, all bordering on professional misconduct, targeted at ridiculing the NBA and its leadership,” it concluded.
