For an association that prides itself as the guardian of the rule of law, few issues have proved as persistently divisive as its own elections.
From disputed electronic voting processes to courtroom battles challenging election outcomes, successive leadership contests have left the Nigerian Bar Association confronting not only questions about its electoral system but also the strain such disputes place on the unity and credibility of the country’s foremost professional body.
Against that backdrop, respected legal scholar and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Akinseye-George, has appealed to aggrieved candidates in the recently concluded NBA presidential election to resist the temptation of litigation and instead embrace mediation, warning that another prolonged legal battle would do little to strengthen the Association.
The Professor of Law urged the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN) to intervene as a neutral mediator between presidential candidates Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN, Lateef Akangbe, SAN, and President-elect Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, with a view to reaching an amicable resolution capable of preserving the unity and integrity of the Bar.
“Disputing the NBA election in court will not help the Association in any way,” Akinseye-George said. “The NBA is bigger than us all.”
The Learned Silk in a statement made available to Law & Society Magazine further stated:
“What are the outcomes of similar suits filed in the past? Litigation will only deepen the disunity amongst us. Let us unite to find solutions to the perennial problem of disputed elections.
“Let the BOSAN mediate between our esteemed Chief Akinboro, brilliant Mr Akangbe and the President-Elect, Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya and find an amicable solution to the present debacle. The NBA is bigger than us all.”
