Jibrin Samuel Okutepa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN, has expressed his loss of confidence in the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) following its just concluded controversial national officers’ election.
Mr Okutepa, known for his blunt commentaries on the Nigerian Bar and the bench as well as governance generally, said in a post he shared on X on Sunday that he has lost faith in the association as a professional body as a result of the election that has received mixed reactions from various quarters.
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The senior lawyer alleged that the election, which produced Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, also a SAN, as the association’s 33rd president, “stripped the association of the credibility, objectivity, honesty and integrity” it once stood for.”
According to him, “every stage of the processes” leading to what he described as a “sham coronation” was manipulated to produce a predetermined outcome.
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He alleged that the election was marred by illegality of the composition of the Electoral Committee of the NBA (ECNBA) which oversaw the process and the lack of independence of the committee, which, he said, was teleguided to produce a pre-determined outcome, capping his review by saying, “It is sad that NBA has lost everything noble.”
He argued that the election was “stage-managed and biased to produce the sham outcome” and warned that the development would have adverse consequences for the legal profession.
“I have lost faith in the Nigerian Bar Association as professional association of lawyers,” he stated, adding, “Credibility, objectivity, honesty and integrity have all departed from the NBA, affairs of NBA and the politics in NBA, unfortunately.”
PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mrs Badejo-Okusanya, also a SAN and the only woman in the three-horse presidential race, secured 12,317 votes to emerge president-elect of the association.
She defeated Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe, SAN, who polled 7,934 votes, while another Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Olumuyiwa Akinboro, received 5,855 votes.
The voting, which was held electronically for 24 hours, also produced winners for the association’s other national offices.
Oghenero Okoro emerged as first vice president. Egya Nuhu John and Pepple Iniobong Irene were elected second and third vice presidents.
Afam Okeke won the position of general secretary, while Aghogho Gladys Okpomor emerged assistant general secretary. Whike Esther Ifeoma Jimoh was elected treasurer, Audrey Chinelo Ofoegbunam elected as the office of welfare secretary. Prince I. Azubuike emerged as the publicity secretary, and Hadiza Nasir Ahmad was elected assistant publicity secretary.
Chidi Betsy Nnaji, Rotimi Komolafe and Huwaila Muhammad Ibrahim were elected as representatives of the Eastern, Western and Northern zones, respectively, on the General Council of the Bar.
Only 26,184 of the 82,172 resgistered voters cast their ballots for all 13 available national offices during the election, representing a turnout of 31.86 per cent.
Shortly after the results emerged, Mrs Badejo-Okusanya thanked lawyers for what she described as their confidence in her vision of “A Bolder Bar That Works for Everyone.”
She said the outcome reflected lawyers’ desire for a stronger, more inclusive and responsive association.
The president-elect also praised her fellow contestants for contributing to the association’s democratic process and pledged to lead with integrity, courage, humility, fairness and accountability.
She promised to improve lawyers’ welfare and work towards an NBA where members would “earn better, live better and practise better.”
Okutepa rejects election process
Rejecting the election, Mr Okutepa said the procedures earlier agreed by stakeholders were abandoned “for processes to produce who the cabals want.”
The senior lawyer criticised lawyers who, according to him, regularly condemn alleged breaches of due process by government institutions but remained silent over what he described as irregularities that characterised the NBA election.
He argued that many of those who criticised technical glitches that affected the Independent National Electoral Commission’s results viewing portal during previous elections had excused similar problems that disrupted the NBA’s electronic voting platform.
Mr Okutepa also alleged that more lawyers were unable to vote than those who eventually cast ballots because of technical failures encountered during the electronic voting process.
“The lawyers who did not vote are far more than the lawyers that were alleged to have voted,” he said.
He maintained that the credibility of any election depended on the integrity of the process that produced it.
According to him, “every stage of the processes” leading to what he described as a “sham coronation” was manipulated to produce a predetermined outcome.
He argued that the election was “stage managed and biased to produce the sham outcome” and warned that the development would have adverse consequences for the legal profession.
Mr Okutepa also said the election had changed his perception of some members of the legal profession, accusing them of applying different standards when assessing electoral processes.
He said he was particularly disappointed by lawyers who, in his view, had vigorously criticised perceived flaws in public elections but failed to hold their professional association to the same standard.
Presidential candidate criticises election
The NBA election, which lasted 24 hours between Saturday and Sunday, drew mixed reactions, with some lawyers congratulating the president-elect and hailing the election, others questioning the credibility of the exercise.
Mr Akangbe, who came second in the presidential contest, rejected the process, describing it as “shambolic.” He alleged that widespread technical failures prevented thousands of lawyers from casting their votes and questioned the credibility of the outcome.
READ ALSO: Badejo-Okusanya accepts victory as NBA president-elect, vows to lead with integrity
He also accused the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) of poor preparation and criticised its decision to alter the election timetable without the approval of the association’s National Executive Council.
The outgoing NBA President, Afam Osigwe, SAN, however, defended the election. He acknowledged the technical challenges recorded during the exercise but maintained that they did not undermine its credibility.
Mr Osigwe said the ECNBA would review the election, identify lessons from the technical difficulties and improve future electronic voting exercises. He also urged lawyers to put the contest behind them and support the incoming leadership.
Atiku congratulates Badejo-Okusanya
In a statement shared on his X handle, Mr Atiku said Mrs Badejo-Okusanya’s victory reflected the confidence of members of the association in her leadership.
He urged the incoming NBA leadership to uphold constitutional democracy, the rule of law, human rights and judicial independence while promoting equal access to justice for all Nigerians.
The former vice president also wished Mrs Badejo-Okusanya and her team a successful and impactful tenure.
