…Vows To Drag SANs To Court
By Gbenga Abulude
Immediate past, Publicity Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Abuja Branch, Barrister Silas Joseph Onu, has condemned plans by a group called Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN), to audit the just concluded NBA election.
He said, the group is also attempting to form a committee that will draft the proposed amendment to the Legal Practitioner’s Act, which is not proper since they have no connection to the NBA.
Silas who is the Convener of Open Bar Initiative, in a statement released on Sunday, said, this development has proved that many Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) personally felt defeated by a non-SAN, and are are now working overtime to supplant the Nigerian Bar through BOSAN.
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He called on the many respected SANs to dissociate themselves from the attempt to undermine the NBA, else it would drag that body to court if it insists on implementing their plans.
Recall The New Diplomat had reported that Mr Olumide Akpata, on July 30, emerged winner of the NBA national elections defeating 2 SANs in a historic victory, having polled 9,891 votes out of the total 18,256 ballots and etched his name as NBA’s first non-SAN President in 31 years.
Following the feat, some lawyers have found faults in the election, particularly, one of the 3 Presidential candidates, Mr Dele Adesina (SAN) who described the election exercise as a sham.
The statement reads:
“My attention has been drawn to the sinister activity of a group known and referred to as the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN), an independent incorporated trustee, with no connection to the NBA whatsoever, as it constitutes itself into a supervising body of the Nigerian Bar Association.
“Today, they plan to announce a committee of that body to audit the just concluded NBA Election. It is evident that many Senior Advocates who personally felt defeated by a non-SAN are now working overtime to supplant the Nigerian Bar Association with a group formed only for the SANs.
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“This is not the only overbearing activity embarked upon by the group without any authority from Nigerian Lawyers. They have also constituted themselves into the drafters of the proposed amendment to the Legal Practitioner’s Act and therein attempting to give the body a statutory flavour.
“This attempts to undermine the Nigerian Bar Association simply because a Non-SAN is the current President by promoting another platform that will speak for and on behalf of lawyers, is unfortunate and hereby condemned. It cannot stand and must be resisted by all well-meaning Nigerian lawyers.
“Senior Advocates, like Young Lawyers, have the right to come together under a forum that is subject to the Nigerian Bar Association. However, incorporating an independent body with the aim of surreptitiously taking over the core responsibilities of the Nigerian Bar Association is, sadly, demonstrative of the rot that some of these Seniors have brought to this profession. The only reason for such a body is to show a distinction between “ordinary” lawyers and the “extraordinary” Senior Advocates, who have now surpassed the level of being called lawyers, or so imagine.
“The Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, being an independent incorporated trustee has no business whatsoever in meddling with NBA Election under any guise and should discontinue any attempt to so interfere forthwith. They can organise an election for their preferred candidates to lead their own body and it wont be our business at all.
“Also, the body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria is not known to the legal practitioner’s Act and has no place in the proposed amendment of the said Act. If they have any input to make, it should be routed through the recognized body of lawyers, the Nigerian Bar Association. They cannot constitute themselves as a body acting for or on behalf of lawyers. Their entire membership is less than 600 and as such, they aren’t in any position to act or speak for the over 120, 000 lawyers in Nigeria. They are to desist from further usurpation of responsibilities that does not fall within their purview.
“We are resolved to drag that body to Court if it insist on acting unilaterally in ways that undermine the core purpose and responsibilities of the Nigerian Bar Association.
“I know that not all Senior Advocates subscribe to the objectives of this body and therefore, call on the very respected Senior Advocates of Nigeria, properly so called, to dissociate themselves from this attempt to undermine the Nigerian Bar Association simply because a Non-SAN is presently the President.”
