In two separate letter addressed to The Trustees of the Nigerian Bar Association and The Annual General Meeting Nigerian Bar Association, 11 representatives of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to the General Council of the Bar (GCB) have called for the setting aside of “the decision of the NEC made on the 29th day of February 2024 at Jos” against them on the basis that not only was National Executive Council (NEC) misled, it “has no vires to howsoever interfere with the resolutions and acts of the GCB.”
The March 9, 2024 letter titled: UNWARRANTED ATTACKS ON NBA REPRESENTATIVES IN THE GENERAL COUNCIL OF THE BAR (GCB) AND MISUSE OF NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL (NEC) FOR PERSONAL MOTIVES BY THE NBA PRESIDENT, YAKUBU C. MAIKYAU, OON, SAN, was signed by:
- LAWRENCE OBI ANIZOBA (JP)
- JOHN AIKPOKPO-MARTINS
- DENNIS E. AGBAGA ESQ
- VICTOR C. ONWERE
- ISRAEL LAGBAMUE _
- OLALEKAN IDOWU OLADAPO
- MERCY IJATO AGADA (MRS)
- EBUKA NWAEZE
- ANNE URUEGI AGI
- JOSHUA ENEMALI USMAN
- THEOPHILUS T. IGBA
According to the lawyers: “It is crucial to emphasize that these NEC resolutions were founded on a misinterpretation of the letter and do not accurately represent the issues addressed therein. As members of the GCB, we are fully aware of our challenges, and the letter was intended to provide valuable insights into these matters. Since our tenure in the Council, our objective has been to contribute to the strengthening and independence of the GCB, which has been comatose for far too long, addressing concerns we deemed appropriate. The letter in question was a means to communicate these concerns to our Council President. We fail to understand why this warranted such a public display by the President….”
They further stated: “Our primary motivation in bringing this matter to your attention is to protect our integrity and to rectify any misconceptions that may have arisen as a result of Mr. Y. C. Maikyau’s statements. Maintaining the integrity of the legal profession is of paramount importance to us, and it is imperative that the records are set straight.
“We also respectfully urge you to call on the NBA President to provide clarifications regarding his conduct and the motivations behind the recent actions against NBA representatives in the GCB; and take appropriate measures to ensure that the NBA President refrains from leading the NEC recklessly without regard to the far reaching implications of its resolutions…
“The President’s blatant misrepresentations and deliberate attempts to discredit the duly elected Representatives of the Nigerian Bar Association in the General Council of the Bar are not only disheartening but also alarming. The President’s assertion that we, the elected members, formed an unrecognized body is a baseless and malicious attack on our integrity and the democratic process that elected us into our positions. It is disheartening to witness the NBA President moving the NEC to take actions against a body recognized by the NBA Constitution. The resolutions, in paragraphs 9 and 11 of the NEC Communique, particularly those proscribing the Representatives of the Nigerian Bar Association in the General Council of the Bar, are in direct violation of the NBA Constitution.
“It is indeed highly troubling that the President, the custodian of the NBA Constitution, has chosen to exploit his position to mislead NEC members for personal vendettas. Clearly upset at seeing that the signatory to the GCB letter is the same Mr. John Aikpokpo-Martins of SPIDEL, he reckoned that was another opportunity for Mr. John Aikpokpo-Martins to upstage him and so thought it best to use NEC to discredit him, not minding the collateral damage to the GCB and without giving signatories of the letter or other members of the GCB, an opportunity to explain. The resolutions thus passed during the meeting, particularly those aiming to proscribe our existence and activities, are not only unwarranted but also a gross violation of the very constitution the NBA President is supposed to uphold…”
Below are full text of the letters.
GCB_LETTER_TO_AGM_11 GCB_LETTER_TO_TRUSTEES_1.doc1_