WILL ELECTION CRISIS CRUSH THE TIGER BAR?

These are not the best of times for the Ikeja branch of the Nigerian Bar Association as her bi-annual ritual of leadership renewal is heading very fast, towards a fiasco.

In fact, the Tiger branch is on the brink of a precipice, no thanks to the escapist antics of a lazy, dithering and obviously cowardly Committee of Election conductors, which the branch, courtesy of a negatively scheming Niyi Idowu administration has entrusted her future to.

On May 5, 2008, the Tiger branch set up a three man Committee in line with her bye-laws to conduct elections into the Executive Committee of the branch in June 2008 when the present incumbents will vacate office.
The three “wise men” saddled with this great responsibility are Taiwo Adeoluwa (called 1986) Rex Onobrakpreya (called 1985) and Gbenga Akingbehin (called 1988). Unfortunately, events have shown that these gentlemen do not have the requisite capacity to see through their hard but noble task.

By a letter dated 20th May, 2008 but which was only delivered on the 23rd May, 2008 to Niyi Idowu Esq., the chairman of the branch, the Electoral Committee gave indication of its unpreparedness to hold the elections as scheduled for June 2 2008. The Committee proposes instead that either the elections be conducted for every available contestant whether qualified under the branch bye-laws to run or not, or that the elections be postponed while a care-taker committee be set-up to run the branch until when elections are held (Please see cover story Exhibit).

In arriving at these rather shocking and disturbing positions, the Electoral Committee claimed that they were in possession of enough materials to disqualify all the candidates if the bye-laws were to be strictly followed.
According to the Electoral Committee, the records of payments of branch dues and that of the attendance of monthly meetings by members that are crucial to verifying the qualification of aspirants to contest have been so badly manipulated that they are unreliable tools to use.
Said the Electoral Committee:

(a) “should we rely on both the Attendance and Financial Records (knowing fully well that same have been doctored) to sustain or disqualify any candidate? Or

(b) “should we close our eyes to all the discrepancies and allow the candidates to contest, thereby disregarding Section 10 of the Bye-laws which makes provision for qualification.?

We wish to draw attention to Section 10 (1) (a) of our Bye-laws and the requirement of moral capacity and competency of the candidates for election. The activities of most of the contestants, the language employed on their co-contestants during the public sittings of our Committee and even the issue of sworn affidavits in lieu of payment receipts would violate the true intendment of our Bye-laws. There are enough materials to disqualify all the candidates if the bye-laws were to be strictly construed.”

The question is, how valid are the contentions of the Adeoluwa Electoral Committee?

In the sober judgement of this magazine, the Electoral Committee is guilty of exaggerating the problems at hand, so as to avoid the responsibility of doing their work.

Right from the on-set, it can be fairly said that the Committee was not actually fit for the task given to it by the Ikeja Bar.

Even though it was appointed on the 5th May, 2008 to hold elections on June 2, 2008, less than a month away then, the Committee held her first meeting only on the 12th May, 2008 and just for about one hour.
Even at that point, the Squib can authoritatively reveal that the Committee was already feeling intimidated by the arduous prospects of screening candidates for eligibility and conducting elections.

At that first meeting, upon receiving a so called deluge of petitions and with promise of more of such to come, the chairman of the Electoral Committee, Taiwo Adeoluwa was heard voicing his opinion in public at the secretariat of the Ikeja branch that he was uncomfortable and shocked with the tension which the impending political contest had generated in the Ikeja Branch. The solution according to the chairman, in his personal opinion was that all the aspirants whatever qualification defects they might have should be allowed to contest.

This perspective was also shared by Rex Onobrakpeya Esq., the ordinary member of the Electoral Committee, who although the most senior of the three-man Committee curiously elected not to chair the Committee.
Analysts wondered at the expression of shock and disturbance of both Messrs Adeoluwa and Onobrakpeya at the so-called volatile election tension said to have gripped the Ikeja Bar, because such tension is a normal election year occurrence.

On the 14th May, 2008, the Electoral Committee held her second meeting - this time with contestants to consider pending petitions. But, even before the meeting sat, the Chairman, Taiwo Adeoluwa was heard opining freely, too freely in public perhaps that all the parties are guilty of doctoring records.

Expectedly, at the meeting of 14th May, 2008, sparks flew between petitioners and candidates petitioned against. But it was nothing physical or out of hand, but the intensity of the presentation and defence of different contentions and positions by candidates only worked to unnerve the Electoral Committee members more, particularly, the Chairman, Taiwo Adeoluwa and Rex Onobrakpeya.

Observers and activists of the Ikeja Bar view the fearfulness of the Electoral Committee members as a direct result of their superficial relationship with the vigorous Tiger bar. There may be some merit in this position. The most seemingly stable member of the Committee is the Secretary, Gbenga Akingbehin, a University of Lagos lecturer who happens to be, of the trio, the most familiar with the Ikeja Bar.

Rex Onobrakpeya is an on and off attendee and participant of the Ikeja Bar meetings and activites, while the Electoral Committee Chairman, is simply a neophyte bar-man. The day he was nominated into the Electoral committee, he was, to many members, like a visitor from Jupiter. Many members simply wondered who the gentleman was. Neither his face nor name was known to many Tigers, even up till now.

In maintaining a position that the records of the association are so badly tampered with, that they could not be used for verifying the qualification of contestants, analysts contend that the Electoral Committee could not be right.

Although the third meeting of the Electoral Committee of 19th May, 2008, with Beckley Abioye, the General Secretary and Yinka Farounbi, the Financial Secretary who are the record keepers of the meeting attendance and branch due payments of the branch respectively, revealed that there are discrepancies in the records, the discrepancies cannot be said to be so pervasive and thick enough for the records to be un-usable.
There are valid reasons for this contention:

1. Petitions did not lie against all the contestants, who in all, number twenty and are as follows:

Chairman
1. Dave Ajetomobi
2. Dele Oloke
3. Niyi Akinmola
4. Beckley Abioye

1st Vice-Chairman
5. Dare Akande
6. Charles Biyi Oguntuga

2nd Vice-Chairman
7. Maimuna Esegine
8. Terry Adeniji Badmus
9. Olufemi O. Dafosta

General Secretary
10. Titilayo Osagie
11. Isa Mohammed Buhari

Assistant General Secretary
12. Gbenga Ajayi


Financial Secretary
13. Leye Omitola

Welfare Secretary
14. Chinwe Joy Nwadike
15. A. Ahmed

Publicity Secretary
16. S.O. Omodara
17. Lateef Abdusalam

Social Secretary
18. E.R.A Otobo
19. Abiola Oketoki

Treasurer
20. S.O Adesina

As at today, all properly submitted pending petitions with the electoral committee are as follows:

Petitioners Vs Respondents Status

Dave Ajetomobi Vs Niyi Akinmola Chairman
Dare Akande Vs Charles Oguntuga 1st V.C.
Charles Oguntuga Vs Dare Akande 1st V.C.
Terry Badmus Adeniji Vs Maimuna Esigene 2nd V.C.
Isa Mohammed Buhari Vs Titilayo Osagie Gen. Sec.
Chinwe Joy Vs A. Ahmed Welfare Sec.
Lateef Abdusalam Vs S.O.Omodara Publicity Sec.
E.R.A. Otobo Vs Abiola Oketoki Social Sec.

Clearly, only about half of the candidates have petitions (even cross petitions too) against each other and only in about six offices.
So, in the light of the above facts why would the Electoral Committee sweepingly and peremptorily hold that they cannot hold elections and that all the candidates are fit for disqualification?

For the purpose of further clarity, it will be shown shortly that for a reasonable and industrious Electoral Committee, there are enough reasons and basis to find candidates who are actually qualified to vie for posts and to hold elections for them.

In the post of chairman, there are four candidates. There is no petition or counter petition against Beckley Abioye and Dele Oloke. Same can be said of Dave Ajetomobi.

According to the Committee, in a chat with the SQUIB on the 23rd May, 2008, even though Abioye has no petition against him, he lacks the moral right to vie for chairman being so heavily involved in the falsification of records of attendance of branch meetings. While this allegation is quite true against Abioye, it is unfair to allege that he falsified records against every contestant and that all his records are manifestly unreliable.

In fact, evidence so far only showed that he added to the attendance marks of certain contestants like Biyi Oguntuga, Biola Oketoki, Maimuna Esegine, especially in the 2006/2007 year but there is no evidence or proof that he reduced the eligibility quotient of any candidate as per attendance of meetings, except possibly of Olufemi Dafosta Osinowo. Even at this, the Committee did not find the time or the trouble to take up the secretary on each of the records he wrote for each candidate.

In fact, at his “trial” before the Electoral Committee on the 19th May, 2008, the Electoral Committee Chairman apparently filled with disgust, impatiently closed the case against the secretary just after only one case of fraud padding of record of meeting attendance with respect to the records of Biyi Oguntuga a 1st Vice - Chairman candidate was established against Beckley Abioye. It was like a case of “since you were fraudulent here, you must be fraudulent elsewhere and everywhere else.” To the Squib, this is an unfair and generalised position to take against Abioye.

Candidate Dele Oloke has no petition against him but the Abioye report indicted him as being in attendance of branch meetings only six times in the 2006/2007 year. Before the Committee, Oloke disagreed with this claim but had not tangible proof that his records were unfavourably altered by Abioye.

Yet, the Committee appeared swayed to his side against the embattled Abioye but yet would not clear Oloke for the election.
As for candidate Niyi Akinmola, the petition against him from Dave Ajetomobi alleged and with concrete proof that his seconder, Biyi Oguntuga was not qualified to second him because of inadequate attendance of branch meetings.

So, at the chairmanship level, the only seemingly qualified candidate is Dave Ajetomobi. This was because as at Friday the 16th May, 2008 which was held by the Electoral Committee to be the last day for submission of petitions, there was no petition against Dave Ajetomobi and so, none was treated by the Electoral Committee on 19th May, 2008. Yet the electoral committee refused to clear him for the election
Curiously, on Wednesday the 21st May, 2008, several days after submission of petitions had lapsed, the chairman of the Electoral Committee received the petition of Niyi Akinmola against Dave Ajetomobi and appeared to be treating the unproven document as valid by its mere belated existence.

At the level of the vice-chairmanship (1st and 2nd), the petitions basically are on just two main issues:
(a) lack of sufficient attendance of bar meetings.
(b) non-payment of branch dues.

Whereas (a) above affect both Charles Oguntuga (1st Vice Chairmanship aspirant), and, Maimuna Esigene (2nd Vice Chairmanship aspirant) with credible and clear proof of the allegations.
(b) above affects Dare Akande Esq. with no proof of same, yet, candidates Terry Adeniji Badmus (2nd Vice-Chairmanship aspirant) and Dare Akande (1st Vice-Chairmanship aspirant) were not cleared to run for the elections.

At the General Secretary level, candidate Isa Mohammed Buhari has no petition against him and the Electoral Committee has not found any fault in him, yet the Committee did not clear him for the election. His only opponent, Titilayo Osagie (Mrs), clearly weighed down by the allegation of inadequate payment of branch dues and who has no constitutionally acceptable proof otherwise ordinarily stands disqualified and so elections ought to be conducted for only Isa Mohammed Buhari in that category. But the electoral committee kept mum on the Osagie’s case when the lady put up her rather spirited defence to explain away her predicament.

In the case of the Social Secretary, there is no petition against candidate Emmanuel Otobo and the Committee has no complaint against him on any ground. Surprisingly, the Adeoluwa Committee says that this candidate is not qualified to run.

Otobo’s only opponent, Abiola Oketoki has qualification challenges against her on the two grounds of non-payment of branch dues and insufficient attendance of branch meetings. While the Committee found out that the lady may have possible defence to the first charge, (non-payment of branch dues), there was no escape route for her in the second charge, as the published attendance list of members at meetings thoroughly exposed her as regularly absent from meetings of the branch for most of the 2006/2007 year. So, a candidate like this should stand disqualified.

As for the Publicity Secretary slot, there is no petition against Lateef Abdusalam and as the Electoral Committee finds no fault with the candidate, it has no reason or right to claim that he is not eligible to contest in the election.

Abdusalam’s opponent, S.O.A Omodara, is tackled by his opponent on the twin issues of non-payment of branch dues. Since the Committee was claiming that the records of the Financial Secretary was tampered with, in this regard, it ought to have determined by whom and for whose benefits. If there were doubts in the matter, such should be resolved in favour of candidate Omodara.

As regards the allegation of insufficient attendance of branch meetings, the Committee ought to have looked into the allegation and if it is found that Secretary Abioye inflated the attendance records of candidate Omodara to enable him to qualify for contest, then he should be disqualified on that score. But if the reverse was found to be true then he should be allow to run.

On the Welfare Secretary’s slot, there are only two candidates - Chinwe Joy Nwadike and A. Ahmed. While Chinwe falls short of the required number of meeting attendance as per the Abioye report and so should be disqualified if the report is found valid (note that candidate Joy Nwadike has not complained against the Abioye report), the allegation against Ahmed (failure to pay adequate practicing fees), has not been looked into by the committee to determined his validity or otherwise.

As for Leye Omitola, the sole candidate for Financial Secretary’s, there is no petition against him and there is no evidence of his violating any qualifying standards yet the electoral committee refused to clear him for the election and this should be cleared by the Committee.

The situation is almost the same for Gbenga Ajayi, the sole candidate for Assistant General Secretary.

The only other solo candidate, S.O.A Adesina in the Treasurer position has no petition against him, but the Abioye Report indicted him for insufficient attendance of branch meetings. If this claim is true, then Adesina should be disqualified but the electoral committee has not even verify the Abioye report on Adesina.

From the foregoing analysis, it is clear that there are candidates that have no qualification problems at all, contrary to the assertion of the Electoral Committee in their letter of 20th May, 2008 to the Chairman of the NBA, Ikeja Branch.

In the humble view of this magazine, the only way forward is for the elections to hold. The Adeoluwa Committee should be made to do its job or resign immediately for incompetence and gross dereliction of duty.

A critical appraisal of the mood and conduct of the Electoral Committee make it reasonable for people to suspect it of mischief and plain bone-laziness. Else how could a committee saddled with such a grave responsibility such as conducting a bar election condemn the entire political players and actors without providing specific data against each candidate but rely heavily on sweeping statements, generalisation, mass condemnation and blackmail. The Adeoluwa Electoral Committee should be told that their job is not a piece of cake and that they should find the courage and grit to do the right thing, instead of looking for scape-goats.
Section 18 (1a-d) of the bye-laws of the Ikeja bar provides for what to do where offices are vacant after elections to the effect that where all the Executive offices are not filled after elections such offices are to be filled by the members of the new Executive Committee intact who choose appointees by themselves from members of the branch.
This is another useful road for the Electoral Committee to steer the NBA Ikeja to, if it finds the courage to conduct the June 2 2008 elections. As amply demonstrated above, there are:
(a) sole candidates in some offices without any qualification blemishes
(b) offices where only one or two in their class have no qualification blemishes

Elections should be conducted for such candidates while those who cannot qualify should be disqualified.

From credible reports reaching the Squib, Niyi Idowu the out-going chairman of the Ikeja Bar is acutely embarrassed by the letter of the Adeoluwa Committee of 20 May 2004. Geckos who were present when the chairman received the letter from Taiwo Adeoluwa Esq. the chairman of the electoral committee told the Squib that upon reading the letter Idowu broke out in cold sweat.

This is understandable. The contents of the letter is a damnation of not only his regime but a potent rubbishing of his political godson Beckley Abioye who he so desperately wanted as his successor, as a political fraudster. Only a few observers of the Tiger branch has much sympathy for Idowu however. He was heavily instrumental in his capacity as the presiding officer of the May 5 2008 meeting of the Tigers to the constitution of the Adeoluwa committee; most of whom are strangers to the Ikeja Bar and have no time or the much needed sacrificial disposition and courage to discharge the onerous burdens of election conduct placed on them and as such could not stand to be counted when it mattered most to do the right thing no matter whose ox was gored.

After heedlessly breaking faith with his political family which made him and now supported by a company of largely inexperienced and minimally influential underlings, which a political commentator has dubbed a “rag-tag army” in his quest to determine who his successor would be, Idowu may well end his tenure on the infamous record of being the first chairman of the Tiger bar who came to the ‘throne’ peacefully, popularly and gloriously but left in shame and in chaos.

ILLEGALITY OR LEGALITY: WHICH WAY WILL THE TIGERS GO IN THE JUNE 2008 ELECTIONS?

It is no longer news that the Ikeja branch of the Nigerian Bar Association is preparing to elect new hands to man her leadership. The incumbent Niyi Idowu administration will expire came June 2 2008.

But who will be the new leaders of the Tiger branch? The answer to that question lies not only with the electorate, but also on the conductors of the election.
For this year’s election, a three – man electoral committee to wit, Taiwo Adeoluwa Esq. Rex Onobrakpeya and Akin Akingbehin a.k.a idea’ was constituted amidst a lot of furore at the meeting of the Tigers of 4th May 2008.
Since her stormy and unavoidably political birth, the Electoral Committee has had no rest. Because of the sensitive nature of the assignment on her hands, every move, act or declaration of the Committee has been subject of all manners of speculation, and criticisms.
For example the very first decision of the E.C to wit to make Taiwo Adeoluwa Esq. (called to the bar in 1986) the chairman of the E.C ahead of Rex Onobrakpeya Esq. (called to the bar in 1985) raised serious suspicions in some quarters-that the ascendancy of Adeoluwa to the post of chairman above his senior colleague – Onobrakpeya was to give Adeoluwa a sure –foot hold to bend the electoral rules for the candidates supported by Niyi Idowu Esq. the incumbent chairman of the NBA.
Such quarters refused to believe that Adeoluwa, a financial supporter of the Niyi Idowu administration but who hardly participate otherwise in Ikeja bar affairs was not summoned by the chairman to help the fortunes of Beckley Abioye, whom he (Idowu) was sponsoring to succeed him as chairman.
Clearly the E.C has a huge task in her hands to conduct a credible election. As at press time, according to Mr. Akingbehin, the Secretary of the E.C. there was no less than ten petitions by and against various candidates in the election pending before her.
This is an unprecedented development. At least in the past twelve years of the Tiger branch, there was never such a wide rash of petitions before any E.C. Incidentally there had never been a time too that four persons would be contesting the chairmanship of the branch.
Squib’s investigation reveal that the most important question before the E.C and which may even tear the body apart is “whether or not to allow ALL contestants who have submitted nomination papers to contest regardless whether they qualify to so contest under the electoral guidelines of the bye – laws of the branch?
Of the four chairmanship contestants, only one, to wit Dele Oloke, appears to be clamoring for blanket clearance of all contestants irrespective of whether they meet the eligibility requirements of the bye-laws as candidates or not. Dele Oloke, who is bearing the cross of a negative eligibility report, is of the opinion that the rules be ignored. At a meeting the E.C held with all aspirants on Monday 12th May 2008, Oloke ingeniously submitted that “our bye laws is dead and as such should not be followed”. Curiously however in his further arguments Oloke was heard relying on sections of the bye-laws which moments ago he had declared dead.!
At the said meeting of 12th May, some of the contestants levied accusation against their opponents and some members of the outgoing executive committee, particularly Mr. Beckley Abioye, the incumbent General Secretary and Mr. Yinka Farounbi the Financial Secretary.
For example Mrs. Titi Osagie whose opponent Isa Mohammed Buhari alleged to have under paid her branch dues for year 2006-2007, claimed in her defence that it was Farounbi the Financial Secretary, who was her Principal in Chambers in 2006 who “deliberately under paid for me so that at a time like this, it can be used against me”. The lady went on to add that:
“But when I discovered this, I went and paid up the balance (N500:00) and collected the receipt. Unfortunately as I was going home, robbers attacked me in the bus and went away with my purse which contained the receipt”
While Mrs. Osagie was at her story, a gecko perching by the door was heard asking another gecko whether the lady ever studied creative writing at the University!
It appears that many of the petitions pertaining to the issue of attendance of the branch meetings up to the required level, challenges the veracity of the report of the incumbent General Secretary on the matter.
It would be recalled that in the last edition of the Squib, the Abioye report was thoroughly exposed as a document that told many lies in many parts.
At the meeting of the 12th May, Abioye himself in his capacity as a chairmanship candidate was present. In his brief defence of himself Abioye told the committee that they should not rely on the attendance lists which his office published and attached to minutes of the monthly meetings of the branch and circulated to members but rather should rely on the attendance notebooks which was in his care but now submitted to the committee.
When Abioye gave this advice, many people wondered whether the published attendance lists were not prepared from the attendance notebooks he was asking the E.C to rely on
According to geckos, the hero of the meeting was no other person than S.O.A Adesina Esq, the solo candidate for treasurer.
Unlike so many other candidates who were declared by the Abioye report as having fallen short of the minimum of 7 meeting attendance requirement, and were rooting for blanket eligibility for all candidates, Adesina declared that if the Electoral Committee finds out that he did not make the minimum requirement on attendance of branch meetings as stated by the Abioye report, he should be disqualified! A loud, widespread applause greeted this noble declaration.
At the end if the meeting, the E.C declared that it would investigate all petitions before it and that in that wise it would be meeting with both the General Secretary and Financial Secretary of the branch to clear themselves of the various allegations of falsification of records made against them.
Discreet investigations by the Squib reveals that the E.C., except care is taken, may split up. While the chairman, Taiwo Adeoluwa has expressed “my personal opinion” to all the contestants at the meeting of 12th May 2008 that it is best to allow everybody to contest because “there are too many petitions and too much tension” the secretary, Akin Akingbehin is of the mind that the proper thing to do is to follow the electoral guidelines.
However it appears that the chairman has expanded his view on the conduct of the election. Said Adeoluwa to the Squib on Friday 16th May 2008, “Our mission is to hold a credible election. We shall not close our eyes to the bye-laws. We are lawyers but at the same time we shall not close our eyes to the realities on the ground. The reality on the ground is that two (power) blocks are ‘fighting’. It appears one block has tampered with the records of attendance, while the other has tampered with the records of payment of dues. We shall look into all these allegations thoroughly.
I want to assure everybody that I am not in the E.C to do my one’s bidding. And anybody who is nursing any such hopes has failed”.
Mr. Rex Onobrakpeya, the third member of the committee spoke in like vein too. Speaking to the Squib on Saturday the 17th May 2008, Onobrakpeya said: “I chose not to be chairman of the Electoral Committee on personal grounds, even though Mr. Adeoluwa wanted me to be. I have no interest in anybody becoming anything. My own concern is that the Tiger Bar should not go into limbo and lose its Tiger identity.
I do not believe in speculations. People should wait for the outcome of our investigation. As at today, the out-going executive is accused of doctoring records. We shall investigate the claims dispassionately and then decide”
In his own view, Akin Akingbehin the E.C secretary strongly believes in the propriety of following the bye-laws in conducting the elections. According to Akingbehin in his chat with the Squib on Saturday 17th May 2008 “My own position is that our bye-laws should be followed. Our committee was set up to conduct elections and assess the eligibility of candidates and that we shall do. If we have a report from the Exco concerning eligibility of candidates, we must give it a presumption of regularity. But where there is a challenge to the report, we have to look at the challenge. If it is unmeritorious, we throw it out. But if it has merit, we uphold it. There is no big deal in disqualifying ineligible candidates from the elections. That is the law and it has been done before. In the 2006 elections some candidates were disqualified because they were found not to have satisfied the requirements governing the contest, I think particularly on the issue of attendance of monthly meetings. The disqualified candidates were ladies and their supporters even carried placards in protest, but nobody minded them because you can’t fight the law with sentiments.
I didn’t believe we, as Electoral Committee, have power on our own to discard the bye-laws of the branch. If the matter is referred to the-whole house and they say we should abandon the bye-laws in conducting the elections, then we can do it.
But if my colleagues in the E.C say that on our own, we should ignore the bye-laws to conduct the election I will honourably tender my resignation letter. I will not participate in such a thing”.

SQUIB’S POSITION:
There ought to be no debate about the conduct of the elections being in line with the bye-laws of the branch. That position should be taken for granted because it is the right and correct position to take. A professional body such as the NBA sets a very bad example to the society if she indicates that it is acceptable to distance itself from legality in the conduct of her own affairs.
Secondly the intendment of the makers of the bye-laws, was to ensure that only-committed members of the branch occupy her leadership cadre. Such a noble idea (the requirement of regular attendance of branch meetings and payment of branch dues not only for election candidates but also their nominators and seconders could only be to screen out diffident or irregular spectator-type, or nominal members from leadership cadre of the branch) would be defeated however if the eligibility rules are discarded in the conduct of the branch election. In such an eventuality, the greater the chance of the branch having on its leadership unsuitable characters lacking in knowledge and experience of bar activities and conduct becomes very high.
Thirdly where the E.C puts her feet down on the side of legality, a strong and clear message is sent to all members that only those who can sacrifice their time and money for the branch (by attending meetings regularly and supporting the branch financially) will be allowed in the corridor of the branch’s power. Thus adventurers and such unstable characters are shut out from gaining control of the branch and ruin it.

After all said and done, which path will the Taiwo Adeoluwa Electoral Committee toe in discharging her duties? Is it the path of legality or will it go the way of illegality?
The whole world is watching and waiting.

JUNE 2008 IKEJA BAR ELECTIONS: WHO WINS, WHO LOSES?

The most vibrant of all the branches of the Nigerian Bar Association, the Ikeja branch a.k.a “Tiger Branch” is in the breathless grip of a perfervid election fever. The election in question is the General Elections of the branch, slated for June 2 2008.
The inner and outer walls of the secretariat of the Tigers tell the story vividly as many contestants have turned them (the walls) into a huge canvas to paint their political portraits, via posters and bills.
As at the last official count courtesy of a curious and controversial list released on Wednesday 7th May 2008 by the out-going Secretary-General, Beckley Abioye, there are no less than twenty aspirants in the race for 10 posts.
Already petitions are flying against the Secretary-General, Beckley Abioye, who incidentally is also an aspirant in the race for Chairman, accusing him and the incumbent Chairman Niyi Idowu of fraudulent practices in the presentation of the list of candidates, a report which under the branch’s bye-laws serves as data which the electoral committee uses to screen aspirants for eligibility as candidates qualified to participate in the elections.
Under the branch bye-laws, a candidate to qualify to run in an election must be at:
(a) at least 5 years at the bar
(b) must pay his practicing fees as at when due for two years preceding the election
(c) must pay his branch dues for the two years preceding the elections
(d) must have attended the monthly meetings of the branch at least seven-times in each of the two years before the election.
A report indicating a compliance or non-compliance with these provisions of the Bye-Laws on the part of the contestants is made out by Secretary-General and to be pasted (made public) before the constitution of the Electoral Committee, a committee which is set up at the last month of the branch year which starts from July of an election year to May of the following year, a total period of eleven months.
Following complaints of bias and fraud against the preparer of the report, to wit Beckley Abioye, the Squib under took a scrutiny of the said report with the aid of geckos in high places and materials (minutes of Ikeja meetings for July 2006 to May 2007) supplied by the General Secretary himself and found out that the allegations against Abioye the Secretary were not specious. While the record exposes the eligibility inadequacies of certain candidates believed not to be in the camp of the Secretary, the same records covered the ‘sins’ of certain other candidates with false data.
As earlier indicated for year July 2006 to May 2007, the Secretary gave out minutes of the monthly meetings, eleven in all. All the minutes were adopted at the meetings, but only eight of them have attached, lists of members in attendance. The minutes of monthly meetings without these lists of attendance are for July 2006, March 2007 and May 2007.
The implication of this is that there are open records of attendance for 8 months while the records for the other three months are in special custody of the Secretary and so is not open to general scrutiny. We call these the hidden records.
SQUIB FINDINGS:
(1) CANDIDATE GBENGA AJAYI (ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL). The Abioye record indicates that Ajayi attended the 2006/2007 year meetings for 9 times. Squib discovers that in the ‘open’ records, Ajayi attended 6 times (August 2006, September 2006, October 2006, November 2006, December 2006, January 2007, February 2007). To make the 9 minutes recorded for him, Ajayi must have been present in the three other ‘hidden’ months (July 2006, March 2007, and May 2007).

(2) CANDIDATE S.O.A. ADESINA (TREASURER). The Abioye report showed he attended the 2006/2007 meeting, 6 times. Squib discovers that in the ‘open’ records Adesina attended only 4 times. (December 2006, January 2007, February 2007, and April 2007). To achieve the 6 meetings recorded for him, Adesina must have attended at least two of the three months with ‘hidden’ records.

(3) CANDIDATE LEYE OMITOLA (FINANCIAL SECRETARY). The Abioye report credited him with 9 meetings attendance of the 2006/2007 year. The Squib discovers that in the open records that Omitola attended 7 times (August 2006, October 2006, November 2006, December 2006, January 2007, February 2007, April 2007). To make the 9 sittings recorded for him, Omitola must have attended two of the other month with ‘hidden’ records.

(4) CANDIDATE ABIOLA OKETOKI (SOCIAL SECRETARY). The Abioye report credited her with 8 meetings attendance of the 2006/2007 year. The Squib discovers via the open records of attendance, the candidate, known to be a special political darling of Secretary Abioye did not attend any of the meetings at all. Even if the candidate attended all the three months of 2006/2007 year with hidden records, she would still not have made the required number of 7 meetings attendance.

(5) CANDIDATE EMMANUAL OTOBO (SOCIAL SECRETARY). The Abioye report credited him with 8 meetings attendance of the 2006/2007 year meeting. But Squib discovers that even in the months with ‘open’ records, Otobo attended meetings 8 times (August 2006, September 2006, October 2006, November 2006, December 2006, January 2007, February 2007). It is rather inconceivable to imagine that a consistent meeting attender like Otobo would not be present in any of the 3 months with ‘hidden’ records

(6) CANDIDATE A. AHMED (WELFARE SECRETARY). The Abioye report credited the candidate with 9 attendance of the 2006/2007 year meetings. The Squib discovers that in the months with open records, Ahmed attended 7 times (August 2006, September 2006). To make the credited 9 meetings sittings Ahmed must have attended at least two of the three meetings with hidden records.

(7) CANDIDATE CHINWE JOY (WELFARE SECRETARY). The Abioye report credited her with 9 attendance in the 2006/2007 year. But the Squib findings show that the candidate attended only 5 meetings (September 2006, October 2006, November 2006, December 2006and February 2007). Even if the candidate attended all the 3 months with ‘hidden’ attendance records, she couldn’t have made 9 meetings, although she would qualify, since only seven meeting attendance is required

(8) CANDIDATE S. O. OMODARA (PUBLICITY SECRETARY). The Abioye report credited him with 9 attendance in the 2006/2007 year meeting but the Squib discovers that the candidate only attended 4 times (August 2006, November 2006, January 2007, April 2007). And even if he had attended the three meetings with ‘hidden’ records, his attendance would have only been 7, which qualifies him anyway.

(9) CANDIDATE LATEEF ABDUSALAM (PUBLICITY SECRETARY). The Abioye report credited him with 7 appearances in the 2006/2007 year meetings but The Squib discovers that in the “open records” the candidate only attended five meetings (August 2006, September 2006 December 2006, February 2007 and April 2007). So if the candidate attended only two of the other three meetings with hidden records, then he would easily make the 7 meeting marks credited to him.

(10) CANDIDATE TITILAYO OSAGIE (SECRETARY GENERAL). The Abioye report credited her with 9 appearances in the 2006/2007 year meetings. The Squib finds that the open records showed that she attended 8 times (August 2006, September 2006, October 2006, November 2006, December 2006, January 2007, February 2007, April 2007). To make the 9 attendance credited to her, the candidate must have attended at least one of the three other meetings with “hidden” attendance records.

(11) CANDIDATE ISA BUHARI (SECRETARY GENERAL). The Abioye report credited him with 9 appearances in the 2006/2007 year meetings. But the open records show that the candidate attended 7 meetings (August 2006, September 2006, October 2006, November 2006, December 2006 January 2007, February 2007) which qualified him at any rate, whether or not he attended the other three meetings with hidden attendance records.

(12) CANDIDATE MAIMUNA ESEGINE (2ND VICE-CHAIRMAN). The Abioye report credited her with 8 appearances in the 2006/2007 year meetings but try as hard as the Squib did, the candidate name could not be found any where in the open attendance records (8 months). Thus even if she attended the three meeting with hidden “attendance” records, she would still not have the 7 meetings bench mark.

(13) CANDIDATE TERRY ADENIJI (2ND VICE-CHAIRMAN). The Abioye report credited him with 8 attendance in the 2006/2007 year meetings. But Squib perusal shows that the candidate by the ‘open’ attendance records attended 6 meetings September 2006, October 2006, December 2006, January 2007 February 2007, and April 2007). Adeniji would meet the 8 attendance mark credited to him if he attended at least 2 of the 3 meetings with hidden records.

(14) CANDIDATE OLUFEMI DAFOSTA OSINOWO (2ND VICE-CHAIRMAN). The Abioye report credited him with 3 attendance in the 2006/2007 year meetings. Squib however finds that he made only 4 meetings in the ‘open’ attendance records (September 2006, December 2006, February 2007 and April 2007). To reach the 7 meetings bench mark, Osinowo must be recorded as present in the three other meetings with hidden attendance records.

(15) CANDIDATE DARE AKANDE (1ST VICE-CHAIRMAN). The Abioye report credited him with 10 attendance in the 2006/2007 year meetings. The Squibs finds that in the open attendance records, Akande attended 6 times (August 2006, September 2006, November 2006, December 2006, January 2007, February 2007 and April 2007). Curiously even though the October 2006 minutes recorded the participation of Akande, the attached list of attendees did not include his name. Akande must have attended the branch meetings with ‘hidden records’ to make the 10 meeting attendance recorded for him

(16) CANDIDATE CHARLES OGUNTUGA (1ST VICE-CHAIRMAN). The Abioye report credited him with 8 meetings attendance of the 2006/2007 year meetings. The Squib however finds that the gentleman came for monthly meetings in that period, only 2 times (February 2007, and April 2007). This is known through the open attendance lists. Even if the candidate attended the other three meetings with hidden attendance records, he would still not have made the 7 meetings bench mark required for contest eligibility.

(17) CANDIDATE BECKLEY ABIOYE (CHAIRMAN). The Abioye report credited him with 11 meeting attendance of the 2006/2007 year meetings. That means he attended all the meetings, an untrue fact. Open record of attendance shows that the candidate attended 7 of the 8 possible meeting. He was definitely absent at the November 2006 meeting, which minutes was taken and franked by A. Ahmed esq the Assistant Secretary General, hence the candidates name was missing in the list of EXCO members in attendance. Even if the Candidate attended all the three other meetings with ‘hidden’ report, he cannot make the 11 meeting bench-mark. Conversely even if he did not attend, he is already qualified to contest.

(18) CANDIDATE NIYI AKINMOLA (CHAIRMAN). The Abioye report credited him with 8 meeting attendance in 2006/2007 year meetings. The open attendance records show that he was present in 7 meetings (September 2006, October 2006, November 2006, December 2006, January 2007, February 2007, and April 2007). The candidate must have attended at least one of the other three months with ‘hidden’ attendance record to have made the 8 meeting mark. At any rate he qualifies to run.

(19) CANDIDATE DAVE AJETOMOBI (CHAIRMAN). The Abioye report credited him with 10 attendance of the 2006/2007 year meetings. The open attendance records show that the candidate was present in 7 meetings (September 2006, October 2006, November 2006, December 2006, January 2007, February 2007, and April 2007). This ordinarily qualifies him to run. He must have attended the three other meetings with hidden attendance records to have made 10 meetings attendance mark.

(20) CANDIDATE DELE OLOKE (CHAIRMAN). The Abioye reports credited him 6 attendance in the 2006/2007 year meetings. By the open attendance records, the Squib finds that the candidate only came to meetings four times (September 2006, October 2006, December 2006, January 2007). For Oloke to have been otherwise credited with 6 attendance mark, it must be that he attended at least two of the three meetings with ‘hidden’ attendance records. Either way the candidate does not qualify to contest.

Presently nobody knows what the stance of the Electoral Committee (EC) headed by Taiwo Adeoluwa esq chairman, with Akin, Akingbehin esq as secretary and Rex Onakprebeya as member would take on the eligibility of candidates to run in the elections.
However the Squib has it on good authority that candidates who have problems satisfying qualification indices are already making re-presentations to the E.C members to close their eyes to the rules and “allow everybody to contest”.
On the other hand, there are those calling for the Electoral committee to follow the constitution and due process in the discharge of their duties to avoid rubbishing the image of the branch and limiting the chances of confusion and controversy. The pattern of behaviour of the E.C in the conduct of the elections would have been more predictable if the outgoing chairman of the branch Niyi Idowu esq had had his way fully at the 5th May meeting of the Tigers during the nomination exercise of the members of the E.C.
Following a set, clear plan not to allow persons opposed to the candidateture of his own chairmanship candidate Beckley Abioye, to make any nomination into the 3 man E.C, his opponents shrewdly and almost magically slipped past him and with his consent to have an input in the E.C.
As things stand, except fairness and adherence to the provisions of the branch bye-laws are followed, the E.C itself may implode causing crisis in the branch. Contestants opposed to the Niyi Idowu group are watching with keen interest what the E.C would be up to, especially its leadership, believed in many quarters to have been hand-picked by Niyi Idowu to achieve certain ends.
The parade of contestants clearly shows that even now factionalised into about three parts, the dominant political caucus in the Ikeja bar remains the Progressive Bar Forum. For all the offices, they have supplied virtually all the candidates
In the chairmanship race for example, at least three of the four contestants, Dave Ajetomobi, Niyi Akinmola, and Beckley Abioye are clear PBF elements while the fourth person, Dele Oloke can also fairly contend that he is or at least was once a PBFite.
Dele Oloke esq is a veteran contestant, an Abraham Lincon of sorts in political post odessey. In year 2002 he contested the 1st Vice-Chairman slot and lost very narrowly (by one vote) to Hya Osahon Ihenyen. In 2004 he contested the same post with Niyi Idowu esq and was trounced. In 2006, the hardy political animal vied for the Chairmanship of the branch with Niyi Idowu esq, who was nominated by his then political caucus to step into the chairmanship post. Again Niyi Idowu had the upper hand with a landslide margin of victory
Now in 2008, Oloke is out there again in the ring. Can he succeed? Optimists and sympathizers of the Oloke cause think, the man may be lucky this time around. They hang their hopes on the division in the PBF family calculating that if the PBF candidates wear themselves out in ferocious attacks, Oloke may just gain a slim majority to take the crown.
But realistically speaking can Oloke comes out tops even in the face of the fractured behemoth of the PBF? The answer may very well be in the negative. For one Oloke may not be allowed to contest. There appears to be legitimate grounds to disqualify him as indicated in the report on candidates for the elections.
Secondly Oloke’s campaign for the high office was the last to take off, almost as an after-thought, thereby yielding quite a lot of grounds to his “early-birds” rivals.
Thirdly even as factionalised as they are, the PBF can hardly be trusted to leave any substantial morsels of votes for Oloke to gobble-such is their reach and persistent networking.
Fourthly, it would appear that strictly in his own, Oloke, although a comfortable looking and well dressed individual, does not have enough charm factor to woo a large number of people to his side. The reason is simple-the frank, almost too-outspoken Oloke is easily (and may be wrongly) perceived as caustic, temperamental and arrogant individual by many members.
Another chairmanship candidate to watch is Niyi Akinmola. A foundation member of the inner ‘family caucus’ of the Progressive Bar Forum, his emergence as a chairmanship candidate this time around is a bit of a surprise to many watchers of the political scene.
A former financial secretary under the Adekunle Ojo administration and the out-going Second Vice-Chairman, Akinmola is not without some experience in bar activism. Why he decided to break from his political family, a group of which he is a foundation member remains a mystery of sort. Stranger still was his decision to go for the chairmanship almost ‘solo’. In leaving his family, Akinmola touts himself to would be voters as a truly independent candidate out to make positive change.
But he has been unable to answer why he alone of his former comrades is an impeccable saint while the rest are devils and sinners.
Squib investigations show that the lack of a cadre or structure support for his candidacy may have forced him into either a secret alliance with the Niyi Idowu group to step down for Beckley Abioye at an opportuned moment. A shrewd study of the report on candidates submitted by Beckley Abioye as Secretary General revealed that a relationship exist between the duo. Conspicuously left absent in the Abioye report are the names of the nominators and seconders of the candidates, contrary to the bye-laws. Funny enough the particulars of these unstated nominators and seconders, such as their year of call, payment of practicing fees etc were given. This curious arrangement has a reason-to prevent the ordinary members of the branch to have a glimpse into the secret and special relationships between some candidates and their so called rivals.
For example Beckley Abioye according to the report was called to the Bar 15th December 1993, his ‘unknown’ nominator was also called to the Bar in 15th December 1993.
Interestingly Niyi Akinmola, one of his rivals was stated to be called to the bar on 15th December 1993, and also his own nominator was also called to the bar in December 1993! Even a villager knows that four added to four can only be eight. For good measure this magazine can reveal that the unstated seconder of aspirant Beckley Abioye’s nomination is no other person than his god-father, Niyi Idowu esq. If Niyi Akinmola continues in the race, what are his chances? It does not appear very bright although it can be said for the self declared ‘lone ranger’ candidate that he has campaigned fairly far and wide with limited measure of success.
The third chairmanship candidate is Beckley Abioye. Before 2006, Abioye was not much of an item in the affairs of the NBA Ikeja branch. His fortune changed when the inner family of the PBF adopted him as their candidate for the post of Secretary. Powered on by their famous political muscle, the PBF led by the very able Dare Akande, brought Beckley into office, unopposed. But almost immediately once in office and in conjunction with his mentor, Niyi Idowu who also rode the PBF horse into the chairmanship seat of the Tiger Branch, began to turn against their political family.
For starters, they prevented Adesina Ogunlana esq, whom they perceived to be an Adekunle Ojo clone, to be a part of ‘their’ government.
Secondly unlike in the Adekunle Ojo era, the duo of Niyi Idowu and Beckley Abioye began to distance themselves from the ready-made think tank that the inner family group of the PBF was. The duo were determined to run the show by themselves and as they deemed fit.
In doing this they started building a new caucus filled by new, inexperienced hands, upon whose fragile shoulders they thrust heavy burdens of the bar to perform.
Before long, the effect of this deliberate political decision began to show. The once vibrant Ikeja bar began to lose its shine not only in the outside world but internally. However the duo of Idowu and Beckley, believed that the past two years in the NBA Ikeja were wonderful ones, hence candidate Beckley’s campaign theme of “continuity and consolidation”. He is the only candidate carrying this banner, even his “half partner” Niyi Akinmola esq is talking about the need for change.
Can Beckley Abioye’s dream to become the next chairman of the NBA come to pass? On the positive side, this candidate has the advantage of incumbency on his side and is clearly in possession of enough sense of desperation to try just about anything to achieve his goal. By being the incumbent secretary, Beckley enjoys a certain level of visibility. With the full support of his chairman, he has not hesitated to take the advantage of his office to work “wonders” with records pertinent to the electoral contest ahead. Only a few weeks back the financial secretary the quiet Yinka Farounbi, who ironically sponsored Beckley into the bosom of the PBF had cause at an Executive council meeting of the branch and rightly too, to accuse both Beckley and Idowu of seizing certain financial records of the branch in his custody and tempering with same. The duo had no answer to the charge.
Still on the positive chance, whatever successes of the Idowu administration which includes raising up to about seven million naira for the FRA Williams Bar Centre and securing from the Lagos State Government, a new bus for the branch, Abioye can rightly claim to it, since it could be said that he is a major player in the regime.
On his own, Beckley stands very little chance, but supported by the scheming and deeply vengeful Niyi Idowu and who has been longer in the political jungle, Beckley will be a major-contender in the race. The essential campaign of the duo is to demonise their former political comrades, particularly the still popular Adekunle Ojo, the former chairman of the branch as a purloiner of branch funds while they (Niyi Idowu and Beckley Abioye) are the Mr. Clean. Their other former comrades like Adebamigbe Omole, Dare Akande, Isa Buhari, Dave Ajetomobi, Tajudeen Ibrahim, Yinka Farounbi, Adesina Ogunlana are portrayed as people prepared to cover up Adekunle Ojo’s misdeeds.
History however does not favour the emergence of Abioye as the chairman of the branch, this time around. All former chairmen and even the incumbent Niyi Idowu who were once Secretaries of the bar, came to the topmost jobs years after being secretaries. For example Mr. Bisi Ade-Ademuwagun became chairman of the Ikeja in 2002 but was secretary almost thirteen years earlier.
Dele Adesina S.A.N became the chairman in 1998, but was secretary in 1991 while Niyi Idowu who became the chairman in 2006 was the secretary in 1998. Already people are wondering why Abioye is in such a hurry to become the chairman in the presence of the two vice-chairmen willing to so become.
Another factor against Beckley is his apparent “juniority” in the scheme of things despite his relative prominence as secretary of the bar. In the PBF caucus he is the most junior of the PBF trio, to wit, Dave Ajetomobi, Niyi Akinmola and himself. In the herachy of bar positions, he remains junior to both Akinmola and Ajetomobi and is also junior to Ajetomobi at the bar, by three years.
In deflecting the change of juniority Beckley Abioye’s dismissive riposte was an arrogant “The only thing those who say I should step down from the race for Dave Ajetomobi can say is that I am junior to him”-as if it is a non-issue.
Thirdly in the area of personal charm, Abioye may not score highly. In the earlier period of his secretary ship, he was one secretary known to be harsh, and often impatient with people and speaking down on them in manner highly suggestive of irritation. In election times people remember such things of candidates, no matter the meek and gentle looks a vote seeking candidate may perforce wear presently.
Fourthly the Beckley Abioye and Niyi Idowu’s misadventure in the Dele Adesina matter-the issuance of a letter of “vouching” to Chief Rotimi Akeredolu S.A.N tacitly endorsing his candidature for NBA presidency to the detriment of the NBA Ikeja home boy Dele Adesina S.A.N, will work against Abioye’s chances.
When the issue came up at the very uproarious May 2008 meeting of the bar, both the chairman and his secretary, who unilaterally decided to ‘vouch’ for Akeredolu without notice to the other members of the Executive Committee escaped sanction only at the heavy intervention of the elders of the bar.
Fifthly Beckley Abioye does not enjoy the support of majority members of the Executive Committee. Perceived as high-handed and self-serving the common joke among members of the Exco is to describe his newly acquired Mistibushi Saloon car as “Mistibushi Imprest” a jab at what is considered to be a generous secretariat maintenance allowance allowed him by the chairman. If majority of the ‘Exco’ members were for Abioye, his plans of becoming the NBA chairman would have been made easier. Under him, the secretariat had not functioned too well. There was no particular improvement on the sanitation of the toilets and the ‘business centre’ of the secretariat packed up a long time ago and there are insinuations that most of the work done by the business centre workers were in the typing and photocopying of LLM course materials of the secretary.
The last but not the least of the chairmanship candidate is Dave Ajetomobi. Like Abioye, and Dele Oloke, he is from Osun State and has at least six years of service in the NBA as a publicity secretary, as a 2nd Vice-chairman and presently as the 1st Vice-Chairman.
Backed by the vast majority of the inner family of the influential progressive Bar Forum which includes the national leader of the PBF, Dare Akande, Adebamigbe Omole, the president of the Lagos State Chapter of the PBF and Adekunle Ojo, the former chairman of the branch, Dave Ajetomobi as at press time is still the candidate to beat.
For one, he has the most-experienced and largest political machinery behind him, the same machinery which brought the incumbent chairman and secretary to power. This is a great advantage because unlike some of his rivals like Dele Oloke and Niyi Akinmola who are just like Beckley whose structure is new and untested, Ajetomobi’s campaingigners are a bunch of tested committed veterans, who are even fired to greater commitment in the face of the political shenanigans of the Idowu-Abioye break-away faction and that of their half-partner Niyi Akinmola esq.
Secondly, Dave’s opponents for whatever reason have left to him to monopolise the platform of the only functional legal journal in Lagos State to sell himself to the electorate. This situation may prove crucial to his eventual success, as Osahon Ihenyen esq learnt to his cost in the 2004 elections, in the contest against Adekunle Ojo to become the chairman of the branch then.
Thirdly Dave Ajetomobi has maintained the cleanest campaign of all the candidates and his group can never be found talking evil of their opponents but always keep emphasising on the programrs of the candidate.
In favour of Ajetomobi is the fact that he and his group identified staunchly with the aspiration of the NBA Ikeja branch to produce the next NBA president via the person of Deacon Dele Adesina. For this astute decision to let bygone be bygones and support Dele Adesina’s presidential bid, Ajetomobi’s group has gained new supporters, even from quarters not ordinarily well disposed to the Progressive Bar Forum.
The large official bar, which Niyi Idowu-Abioye faction of the PBF has alienated and even lately antagonised does not appear to be against the Ajetomobi candidature, and this is a huge plus for him.
Yet the Ajetomobi candidature is not entirely problem-free, Because he is the standard bearer of the main inner family of the PBF, opponents of the PBF are happy that the PBF is fracturing and imploding and may not wish a main PBFite to gain power again since such can only strengthen the caucus again. This main group is being mocked as creating the Niyi Idowu-Beckley Abioye ‘monster’ and so must sink with it.
In some quarters, where the Idowu-Abioye administration is heavily loathed, the administration is hung on the neck of the Ajetomobi backers since they undoubtedly gave birth to the administration. The poser is “Were you not the ones who brought Niyi (Idowu) to us?
How are we sure this one (Ajetomobi) will not turn out just like him (Idowu)?
The constant link of Niyi Idowu to the Ajetomobi group despite his determined and deliberate break with members of his former political family is understandable considering his supposedly strong professional personal, even familial links with his former comrades particularly Tajudeen Ibrahim, Adebamigbe Omole and Oludare Akande a.k.a Leader. But that as somebody had pointed out “is politics."
From all indications, the two leading candidiates in the chairmanship elections are Dave Ajetomobi and Beckley Abioye. It is behind these two candidates that all other candidates contesting for other posts have queued behind.

A cursory look down the ladder shows that the Ajetomobi group parades a stronger and more experienced team. For example in the vice-chairman position, Ajetomobi’s group presents the very experienced and well known Dare Akande as against the relatively unknown Charles Oguntuga.
For Second vice-chairman, the duo of Terry Badmus Adeniyi (incumbent treasurer) and Dafosta Osinowo belongs to the Ajetomobi group while the Idowu-Abioye group presents a Meimuna Esegine, another relatively unknown political player.
For the General Secretary, the Ajetomobi group settles for the veteran party man-Isa Mohammed Buhari (1990 call year) while the Idowu-Abioye group presents Mrs. Titi Osagie (2000 call year) another new face in the NBA Ikeja affairs. For Social Secretary, the Ajetomobi group presents Emmanuel Otobo the out-going Auditor, called to the bar in 1990 while the Idowu-Abioye group presents Miss Abiola Oketoki, a 2002 graduate of the Nigerian Law School
For the office of the Publicity Secretary, the Ajetomobi group has settled for Lateef Abdusalam esq while the Idowu-Abioye group goes for S.O. Omodara
Judging from the analysis of the the Abioye report, many of the contestants under the Idowu-Abioye banner may in all probability end up disqualified, with the necessary political implications and consequences for the group.
So the question remains which way will the Tigers go in the June 2008 elections? The answer lies with the voters. Please ask them.

SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO PROFESSOR JADESOLA AKANDE

It is a popular lie but it is doubtful whether any one really believes it – that all human beings are equal. As far as I know people differ from the word go.
Conceptions can and are indeed unequal. Births are unequal. People came to this world in different ways and circumstances.

While here, they live unequally and when they die, they also die unequally. Even after shedding the mortal garb, they leave behind unequal memories remembrances and even consequences.
The life and times of a former mortal being, Professor Jadesola Olayinka Akande (Mrs.) amply proves thus.
It is not every mortal who has for progenitors, the rich, the famous and the powerful. Jadesola (as Professor Akande was simply known then) came from a renowned parentage. Her father Chief V.A Esan was a high chief in Ibadan, Oyo State while her mother, was a well known woman leader (Iyalode of Ibadan) educationist and a social activist, a contemporary of the legendary Funmilayo Ransome Kuti, the mother of all the famous Kuti brothers of the 1970s - 2006, Koye, Fela and Beko).

When the girl-child ripened to womanhood and heeded the call of matrimony, she did not weld her soul, spirit and body to an “efulefu” man but rather to a man of timer and caliber, the late Adebowale Akande, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, a foremost bar activist and leader, who ended up as – chairman of the very prestigious and highly influential Body of Benchers. It was this stylish and debonair Adebowale better known as Debo Akande who by the singular act of capture by marriage replaced Jadesola’s famous surname with his own equally famous name, and which name she bore proudly and wore like a bejeweled crown for forty - five years until her death.

Jadesola trained to be a lawyer and once qualified, in the broad- spectrum of the profession, chose to be a teacher. By dint of hard work, she became a Professor of Law, the very first female Professor of Law, as reports claim, in Nigeria. Jadesola was not just a teacher, but became an administrator. Crossing from the University of Lagos, she joined the Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos on 2nd October 1985 to serve as Head of Department of Law. Then in 1987 she became the Foundation Dean of the newly created Faculty of Law, LASU till September 1988 when she became the Acting Vice - Chancellor of the University.

In April 1989 her appointment as substantive Vice – Chancellor was confirmed, a post she held till 31st March 1933.
After leaving her LASU job, which had become too hot, no thanks to restive workers and Students’ Unions, Jadesola did not fade into oblivion as many in her shoes would have done.
And, in the opinion of this magazine, therein lies the diamond’s strongest claim to greatness. She devoted her energies to promoting and protecting women’s rights, thus becoming a leading gender-activist.
Apart from collaborating with other women - interests group like FIDA, COWLSO, Akande founded the Women, Law and Development Centre, WOLDEC and became a consultant to bodies of the United Nations and African Union as a consultant on gender issues.
In 2000, Jadesola was appointed the Pro-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology Akure and remained so until 2004.

How Jadesola ever came to be awarded and conferred with the Commander of the Order of the Niger in 1998 was a wonder. Not because the woman of substance did not deserve the award, and even more, but because in Nigeria, it is not in the character of the powers that be to give honour to the likes of Jadesola Akande, men and women of principle and advocates of social justice and liberty.

In December 2005, Jadesola, a Professor of Law, a Former Vice - Chancellor, was at the head of a body of women protesting against the unsafe skies that Nigeria had become, with the rash of plane crashes all over the country. The latest outrage was the Sosoliso plane crash that took away the lives of dozens of travelers including many school children.
The Jadesola Akande led protest was to take the form of a walk from the Opic Plaza along the Mobolaji Bank Anthony Road to the Government Secretariat. The women were armed with nothing more than their head ties and placards but the authorities responded by sending the police to tear-gas the protesters and scatter them.

Jadesola was no stranger to demonstrations. There were plenty of that in her regime as Vice- Chancellor LASU, especially in the last two years, (1991 – 1992) when virtually all the unions on the LASU Campus (LASUSU, ASUU, SATHURAI and NASU) were against her administration.
It is on record that Jadesola, tough and resilient as she was, refused to apply for a second term as Vice-Chancellor which she was entitled to in 1993, in the face of the combined forces of the Doctor, now Professor Dapo Asaju led ASUU-LASU and the Olawale Okuniyi (later Publicity Secretary, PRONACO) led LASUSU. The iron lady, of LASU as she was then known mercifully and narrowly escaped a tragic fate on December 8 1992 in the hands of rioting students who were flabbergasted to hear that Jadesola, who only twelve hours ago had openly come to agreement with ASUU-LASU leaders over car- refurbishment loans, turned round to say defiantly that she would not respect the agreement since it was forced on her under duress!

Not one to be intimidated, Jadesola responded by giving summary expulsion without trial to the leaders of the Students’ rebellion against her authority who were only recalled in October 1993 after prolonged legal and political battles.
Interestingly, long before her death, Mama, as she was popularly called by her students reconciled with virtually all the expelled Students’ Union leaders, who too in the maturity of latter years realised that just like them Jadesola was a kindred activist spirit and not the “Oyiboyi” they had wrongly thought her to be in the past.
At 68, Jadesola’s death came as a rude shock to many, especially when she was known to have participated fully and actively in a five - hour long birthday ceremony for another worthy child of Nigeria Chief Gani Fawehinmi S.A.N, on Monday 28th April 2008. Fawehinmi turned 70 on April 22nd 2008.
According to family sources, the amazon was hale and hearty all through Monday 28th April 2008 and went to bed, without any complaints. That was the last time, she would be seen alive, for by the morrow, the great educationist, administrator, lawyer, gender activist, social activist, and patriot was found dead in her bedroom. The real and true of death is known only possibly to her family, although her sudden death may be connected to the fact that since the death of her beloved husband Debo Akande, in 2004, it was said that she had no special interest in continuing life’s journey.

All said and done, Jadesola had a fortunate earthly existence. She had god parentage, a happy marriage and led a productive and useful life. She had left behind children and estates. But most importantly she left a good name.Blessed are the memories of the Just; so says the Scriptures Rest in Peace, Jadesola Olayinka Akande, great amazon and woman of substance. May the after-life be even more pleasant for your noble soul!

Lucky Workers Gain Recall From Suspension

Once upon a time, the squirrel was trying to persuade the tortoise that they should pay a visit to the Lion, the king of all the denizens of the forest, in his den. The tortoise was not to be persuaded.
Said the wily creature – “See my friend Mr. Squirrel, even though it is good and proper to visit the palace of a king and pay him homage, but from what I can see here, there are very many footmarks of those who go into that den, but only a few marks can I see belonging to those who come out”
Although, it is a tale, the following Lagos State Judiciary Staff, Yinka Idowu (Judicial Assistant) Ade Falade (Court Recorder) Lanre Okunnu (Senior Registrar) Faleti Adeyemi (Assistant Registrar) Remi Ige (Typist) Christy Ololo (Secretary) and Shehu Igunla (Computer operator)
can count themselves among the very lucky to enjoy the benefit of being recalled back to work by their employer after receiving disciplinary sanctions. The lucky 7 are like those few who visit the lion and manage to come back alive.
By a letter dated the 12th March 2008, signed by E. O Ogundare Esq. Deputy Registrar, (Admin) to each of the affected workers, they were accused of in adequate performance of official duties and poor conduct in the said duties and placed on a two week suspension.
On the same day of the letter of their suspension, the workers had also a letter of query, from the authorities directing them to respond to the allegations of a certain Barrister Dele Ajewole Esq. who claimed in a petition that the registrars of the court where all the workers have their stations, to wit, Honourable Justice Kasali’s court are in the habit of demanding money (N5,000 to N15,000) “on a regular basis from lawyers and litigant to process applications for rulings, orders and judgments.”
From what the Squib gathered, and authoritatively too, the allegations aforementioned shocked and frightened the workers a great deal. They were yet to have a breather on it when the order of suspension was slammed on them.
Reprieve has however come the way of these workers for one singular reason - the lawyer who wrote the petition against them could not be found to substantiate his weighty allegations against them. It would be recalled that in her Vol. 8 March 21, 17th March 2008, the Squib broke the story about the seven suspended workers and by dint of investigation proved copiously that the petitioner, the so called Barrister Dele Ajewole existed only in the realm of fiction and fantasy.
In the aforementioned edition the Squib wrote thus:
“In the light of these findings (that Barrister Dele Ajewole is non-existent) this magazine wonders at the credibility or merit of the petition against the affected workers. How will the accusation be proved? By proxy? By mere suspicion? By rumour mongering? By speculation? The ball is in the court of the Lagos State Judiciary to do what is right and just in this case”

A couple of weeks ago, the Lagos State Judiciary, took the right and proper step in the matter of the suspended worker – she recalled them from suspension and paid them their out-standing two weeks salary.
The authorities further directed that the Lucky 7 should back to their former station – Honourable Justice Kasali’s court. However the honourable Judge was not prepared to take the lot back. Her Ladyship simply rejected them.
From all indications, the rejected workers are not dejected by the judge’s decision – still smarting as they are from what they saw as their unfair suspension. They, the Squib was told, were not keen to work with the judge either, preferring a fresh posting.

(1.) JUDGE ESCAPES EMBARRASMENT IN COURT (2.) WONDERFUL! JUDGE CHEATS CAESAR

5th March, 2008 is not a day Honourable Justice Benedicta Oluranti Shitta-Bey of the Lagos High Court can easily forget. It was a rather unusual day for the honourable judge as there was a serious attempt at ruffling the dignified feathers of the lord temporal, this, in his lordship’s very court.

One of the cases before the honourable judge on the 5th March was Charge No. LCD/133/02 State Vs Haruna Muraino and Ors. The matter was for continuation of trial of the accused persons to wit: Haruna Muraino, Femi Omolewa, Habeeb Fasasi and Saidi Oyelekan on a charge of armed robbery.

As at 5th March, 2008, the prosecution had long closed their case and the accused were in the middle of their defence. When the 1st accused person was called upon to make his defence, there was no problem, he did. But when it came to the turn of the 2nd accused person, progress in the case halted as the 2nd accused started manifesting signs of lunacy.

Keen followers of the case claim that it was sometimes early 2007 that Femi Omolewa the 2nd accused person started to show signs that his mental health was deteriorating.
By November, 2007, the only tangible progress that could be said to have been made in the case was the production of a medical report that stated that though the 2nd accused, Femi Omolewa talks coherently occasionally his case disclosed that he suffers from “acute mania and psychosis.” The report was signed by one Doctor Nebo K. G, Superintendent of Prisons. Consequent upon the report, Omolewa’s lawyer prepared an application for his bail and for the 3rd and 4th accused persons as well. The first accused was not included in the application, he having already being released from custody by the Chief Judge of Lagos State during a prison visit by His Lordship.
The defence counsel, who had prepared himself ready for the moving of the bail application had his work made easier by the dramatic, if scary actions of the 2nd accused person in court.

Suddenly in the solemn and mellow environment of the court was heard, a loud, bellowing sound. It came from Femi Omolewa, startling everything including the judge and some geckos on their invisible perch. But more vigorous drama was on the way. When Omolewa’s case was called, he and the other accused persons stood up and left their place for the dock. But instead of walking into dock as usual, Omolewa, charged towards a much bewildered Justice Shitta-Bey, excitedly at the honourable judge while shouting:

“You want to suck my blood!
You want to suck my blood!

Immediately, commotion overtook the whole court as the judge hurriedly called upon his orderly for protection and for the timely restraint of the accused person, who was promptly taken out of the court room. Moments after being taken out of the court room, Omolewa was seen half naked (only his trousers was on) lustily smoking a stick of cigarette. While Omolewa was “cooling down” outside the court room, his lawyer successfully moved the application for the bail of all the accused persons. The application was quickly and comprehensively granted, despite the opposition of the prosecution to the grant of bail to the 3rd and 4th accused who have no mental health challenge.

From all indications, Omolewa’s mental health might have become impaired due to long incarceration in prison. Arrested in June 2001 with all the other accused persons, it was only in March 2004 that the accused persons were arraigned before Honourable Justice Shitta-Bey. Unfortunately, it has become a strong tradition in the Lagos State judiciary for criminal cases especially of ordinary and common folks not to be determined quickly. A major cause of this sad situation is the attitude of judges of the Criminal Division to continue granting adjournments of trial at the instance of prosecution, even in the most glaring instances of lack of prosecution witnesses. To compliment this judicial attitude of “accused-persons-are-presumed-guilty-until the-contrary-is proved” only a few accused persons standing trial for crimes of armed robbery, robbery and murder in Lagos State are lucky to get bail even where prosecution has stalled trial for several months, even years, for lack of witnesses.In one word, administration of criminal justice in Lagos State is invariably slow, sometimes maddeningly too slow, for the victims of this ‘slow-coach judicial system – to bear with equanimity, leading to incidences like the ugly show of Femi Omolewa in Justice Shitta-Bey’s court on the 5th of March 2008.

VOL 8.NO 21, 17TH MARCH, 2008

SQUIB COVER STORY

JUDGE CHEATS CAESAR

Give unto Caesar
What is Caesar’s
And unto God
What is God’s

This admonition of Jesus Christ, as recorded in the scriptures is well known and not only among adherents of the Christian religion. Ironically, this admonition given by the founder
of the Christian faith, to correct those who wanted to escape their civic responsibility, hiding under the cloak of religiousity or piety, was brazenly rejected and thrown to the dogs on Wednesday 12th March, 2008 by no less a person than a High Court Judge - honourable Justice Oyindamola Deborah Oluwayemi of the Lagos High Court.
How did it happen? On the said 12th March, 2008, no less than about forty people turned up in the honourable Judge’s court. They were made up of lawyers, accused persons, warders all ready for the business of the day. The cause list of the day showed that the court had about thirteen cases to attend to. Unfortunately, no business took place in the court that day, yet all the officials of the court came to work, at least ostensibly so.

At first, those in the court room did not know it was going to be a long, wasted day for them. Even when it was 10.00a.m., it never occurred to them that, they would achieve nothing. At about 10.30a.m, the court crowd, which had became worried a bit, became more perplexed when loud sounds clearly indicating that a fervent full-blown Christian Pentecostal worship had commenced inside the chambers of the honourable presiding judge,floated into the court room. As usual with christian pentecostal services, the session was loud and vigorous. Prayers of deliverance, of intercession of intervention were freely offered, invocations followed exhortations amidst emphatic assertions and declarations of halleluyahs and amens! That the honourable judge was in attendance was not in doubt, her ladyship’s mellifluous voice carried out from her chambers chapel to the court room. As the service progressed, even resident geckos, mercifully invisible in their perches, in nooks and crannies of Justice Oluwayemi’s court, became groggy with the fumes of the fervent prayers. At a point, so said the geckos, the atmosphere appeared thick with the “spirit” and some of the accused persons were seen looking hopefully towards the direction of the prayer-house thinking that perhaps their hour of deliverance had come.
Alas, it was a vain hope. Equally vain was the hope that the court would sit that day. Around 12.30p.m., it appeared that the worship session was rounding up. By that time, the lawyers present in court were clearly fed up, particularly so because, up till that time, there was no registrar or any other official of the court that came round to pass any information. They and their various clients were held down in the court, completely bereft of information about the direction of the court. At about 12.45p.m., tight lipped registrars came into the court with the curt news that the court “will still sit.”
As if to confirm the information, the registrars brought in case files. This act encouraged counsel and their clients, some of them who had been in prison custody for years to believe that some progress would still be made in their respective matters on that day.
However, when it was 2.00p.m., the registrars, without ceremony, though looking a bit shame-faced, started giving new hearing dates to the various cases.
One by one as the disappointed crowd of justice seekers walked forlornly out of the courtroom, a gecko who was sent to monitor their exit and record how many of them left with any gladness of heart or prayers for the court, was almost roasted with the intense heat emanating from the people especially the accused persons.
Instead of prayers, what the gecko heard was curses and imprecations. Nobody laughed or smiled, it was moans and hisses galore. And the geckos could not blame them because the time the presiding judge should have used to mete out justice to the poor souls had been used by the honourable judge to serve her own God on prayers and supplications!

BAR AND BENCH NEWS

GHOST PETITIONER SENDS JUDICIARY STAFF PACKING

The following Lagos State Judiciary workers Yinka Idowu (Judicial Assistant), Ade Falade (Court Recorder), Lanre Okunnu (Senior Registrar), Faleti Adeyemi (Assistant Registrar), Remi Ige (Typist), Christy Ololo (Secretary) and Shehu Iginla (Computer Operator) have, or had one thing in common - all of them up till the 12th March, 2008 were the supporting staff of Honourable Justice Iyabo Kasali of the Lagos High Court.



Another fact bind them together, that is their ‘joint and several” suspension from duty for two weeks without pay, effective from 13th of March, 2008. The travails of the workers was triggered off by a petition directed to the honourable judge I. O Kasali, dated 7/03/2008 and signed by one Dele Ajewole Esq. of the Dele Ajewole & Co Chambers with office said to be at Plot 114, Adetokunbo Ademola Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. In the said petition, the petitioner alleged that the registrars of the court were fond of demanding various sums of money ranging from N5,000 - N15,000.00 for processing applications asking for rulings, orders and judgements of the court. See Bar and Bench News Exhibit I. From all indications, honourable Justice Kasali did not waste much time in passing the petition to higher authorities, this after a small meeting with all her staff members where Her ladyship showed the petition to them.
On Wednesday the 12th March, 2008, the staff members of Justice Kasali’s court received two letters from the authorities at the same time. One was a letter of Query, with a copy of the petition as an attachment. The other was a letter of suspension from duty without pay for two weeks. See Bar and Bench News Exhibit 2.
According to the letter of suspension, the affected workers earned the punishment because “there had been several complaints against you regarding your conduct in the discharge of your official duties and that your performance has been grossly inadequate……. and there has been no improvement.” See Bar and Bench News Exhibit 3.
Squib investigations indicate that there may be more to this development than meets the eye. While it is known that corruption in the form of demand for bribery and sometimes outright extortion is rife among various layers of judiciary staff, it appears that the suspended workers may be targets of high level victimisation, and for some of them, outright objects of the application of instituted administrative policy of ‘scapegoatism.’
For one, the letter of query on the staff members strongly suggest that the administration, even as early as it is, and with no or scant investigation has already adjudged the workers guilty of the allegations contained in Dele Ajewole’s letter. See paragraph 2 of the query.
Another issue is that the letter of suspension of the staff looks too coincidental with the arrival of the letter of query to be innocent.
When the Squib got wind of this story, it decided to reach the petitioner to have a fuller picture of his allegations which were rather vague and generalised in his petition.
Unfortunately, all efforts to trace Dele Ajewole Esq. proved abortive. First, the GSM phone number left - 08030506999, despite several calls day and night never went through. Secondly, the address of the petitioner, to wit: Plot 114, Adetokunbo Ademola Street, Victoria Island is non-existent, except on the face of the petition.
For two hours on Thursday the 14th March, 2008 Squib Land Trackers even with the aid of “Okada” riders and Squib intergalactic radar beam simply could not locate the address for the simple reason that it never existed.
Much more worrisome is the discovery by the Squib via internet service that there is no Nigerian lawyer known and called Dele Ajewole. A diligent search of the website of the Nigerian Bar Association which listed lawyers from 1887 till 2007 indicated only the following Ajewoles as lawyers:

S.C.N NO. PRACTITONER NAME YEAR OF CALL

034486 AJEWOLE, ADEBAYO 1974
0367751 AJEWOLE, JOHN OLORUNDARE 1983

023842 AJEWOLE, SULAIMON AJENIYI 1989

023175 AJEWOLE, JOHN OLORUNDARE 1990
0404338 AJEWOLE, OYEWOLE 2004
050975 AJEWOLE, EZEKIEL OLANREWAJU 2006
….. AJEWOLE, GABRIEL OLUSAYO 2007

In the light of these findings, this magazine wonders at the credibility or merit of the petition against the affected workers! And if there is no real or actual accuser against an accused person, how will the accusation be proved? By proxy? By mere suspicion? By rumour mongering? The ball is in the court of the Lagos State Judiciary to do what is right and just in this case.

'I'm Being Victimised' Falana cries out over SAN award loss

December 11, 2007

The Honourable Justice L. Kutigi CON.

The Chief Justice of Nigeria,

Supreme Court Complex, Abuja.

Your Lordship,

COMPLAINT OF DENIAL OF THE RANK OF SENIOR ADVOCATE OF NIGERIA ON POLITICAL GROUNDS.

It would be recalled that I applied for theAward of Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2006.
Although I met the prescribed prerequisites, my name was deliberately excluded fromt the candidates shortlisted for the consideration of the Legal

rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria. Apart from another-candidate (with whom I share similar political views), no other candidate was subjected to such harassment over his/her "political views or affiliations."
I was equally treated unfairly by the Committee in the assessment of my leadership role in the Bar. Since I was called to the bar over 25 years ago, I have been on the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Nigerian Bar Association for 20 years. I represented the Nigerian Bar Association in the Council of Legal Education from 1998-2006- I was the Secretary-General of the African Bar Association from 2000-2002 and the current President of the West African Bar Association (WABA). I am also a member of the Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU) and the International Bar Association (IBA). Curiously, the honourable members of the Committee who assessed me are not active members of either the local or the international bar associations.
My office complex is a storey building at 25, Adekunle Fajuyi Way, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos. I have a well equipped Law Library and internet facilities in my office and residence. To my utter chagrin Mr. Yemi Candid- Johnson (SAN) who purportedly carried out a physical inspection of the facilities in my law office neither checked the books in the library nor asked questions on the availability of any particular law book. But he turned-in a report wherein it was stated that I had no practice books in my library! I have since confirmed that the said Mr. Candid-Johnson (SAN) was not even assigned to inspect the law offices of applicants in Lagos State. Surprisingly, the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee adopted the unauthorized and imaginary report compiled by the learned Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
In my active legal practice of over 25 years, I have handled cases of outstanding legal importance. Not less than 50 of my cases can be found in established law reports. In some of the cases the novel points of law canvassed by me were upheld by the courts. Some of the cases include: Ogor Vs. Kolawole (1983) 1 N.C.R. 342; (1985); H.C; Sagay Vs. Alele - Williams (1987) WBRN 58 H.C; Onabanjo Vs. Obafemi Awolowo University (1991) 5 NWLR (PT 193) 549 C.A; In Re: Aluko (No1) (1992) 2 NWLR (PT 223)520 C.A; Madike v. State (1992) 8 NWLR(PT 257) 85; F.R.A Williams Vs. Akintunde (1995) 3 NWLR (PT 381) 101 C.A; F.G.N. Vs. Adams Oshiomole (2004) 14 WRN 110 C.A; Anya Vs. lyayi (1993) 7 N.W.L.R. (PT 305) 290 S.C; Comptroller, Nigeria Prisons Services Vs. Dr. Adekanye (2002) 15 NWLR (PT 790) 318 S.C; A.G. Ondo State Vs. AG Federation (2002) 27 WRN 1 S.C and Fubara Vs. Minimah (2003) 32 WRN 1. S.C
In handling the afore-mentioned cases and others I was privileged to have appeared against leading legal practitioners like the Late Chief Rotimi Williams (SAN), the Late Dr. Mudiaga Odje (SAN), Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), Chief Ejike Ume (SAN), Chief Ebun Sofunde (SAN), Chief Akin Otujinmi (SAN), Kola Awodein Esq. (SAN) and Chief Emeka Ngige (SAN). I have also had the opportunity of being led in several cases of constitutional significance by the Late Chief F.R.A. Williams (SAN), Late Alao Aka-Bashorun Esq., Chief G.O.K Ajayi (SAN). Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN) and Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN).
In the unreported case of ANPP & ORS Vs INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE (SUIT No: FHC/ABJ/CS/54/04) 1 succeeded in persuading the Federal High Court to declare the provisions of the Public Order Act (Cap 382) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990 prohibiting rallies or processions without police permit illegal and unconstitutional: The appeal filed against the epochal decision has just been dismissed by the Court of Appeal which declared police permit "retrogressive and primitive" in a civilized society. (See INSPECTOR-GENERAL OF POLICE Vs ANPP & ORS, Suit No: CA/A /193/05 in which judgment was delivered on December 11. 2007.)
Without sounding immodest only Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN) can be said to have handled more public interest cases than me in the entire Nigerian legal profession. As counsel to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and many other registered trade unions, I have handled more labour related cases in the Industrial Arbitration Panel and the National Industrial Court than any legal practitioner in the country. Apart from my active practice in the Nigerian courts, I have also been involved in litigation in the Special Court for Sierra Leone and the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice. 1 won my first case of constitutional importance in the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 1993. Without any attempt to embarrass anyone some of my colleagues who have just been conferred with the Award of Senior Advocate of Nigeria made their first appearance in the Supreme Court in the last couple of years or thereabout.
I was a contributor to THE ARTICLE 19 FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION MANUAL on International and Comparative Law, Standards and Procedures, The Bath Press, London. August 1993. Some of my other publications include: Legal and Policy Framework of Occupation Health and Safety in Nigeria in Idowu Awopetu et al (eds) (1998) WORKING IN DANGER P. 52 (a CDHR PUBLICATION ); Legal Position and Dimension in Occupational Health on Nigeria in Funmi Adewumi and Femi Omololu (ed) 1997 in Death by Installment: Occupation Health and Hazards in Nigeria P. 11, a Fredrick Herbert Foundation publication; The 1999 Constitution and Sovereign National Conference in Segun Jegede et al (eds) (2000); PATH ON PEOPLE'S CONSTITUTION, P. 86, a CDHR PUBLICATION; Corruption, Accountability and Transparency in Governance Under the Constitution in Dele Adesina et al (2000) in BURNING ISSUE IN THE 1999 CONSTITUTION, a Publication of the Nigerian Bar Association, Ikeja Branch, Lagos; Some Critical Questions on Constitutional Project and Development in Africa in Kwame Karikari (ed) 2002 in WHERE HAS AID TAKEN AFRICA? RETHINKING DEVELOPMENT, a publication of the Media Foundation for West Africa based in Accra, Ghana.
My 251 page book on Fundamental Rights Enforcement (published in 2004) is the only reference material on the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules. 1979. I am the Editor -in- Chief of the Weekly Reports of Nigeria (WRN); Ghana Monthly Law Reports (GMLR); Economic and Financial Crimes Law Reports (EFCLR) and ECOWAS Community Court of Justice Law Reports (ECCJLR) whose first volume will be published in January 2008. For some inexplicable reasons my humble contributions in the area of law reporting were totally disregarded by the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee which has had cause, in recent time, to confer the Award of Senior Advocate of Nigeria on two distinguished legal practitioners on the basis of the law reports edited by them.
In August 1996 Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN), Olisa Agbakoba Esq. (SAN) and i were
honoured with the International Human Rights Award by the American Bar Association for our "extraordinary contributions to the cause of human rights, the rule of law and promotion of access to justice". I have also just been conferred with the Knight of Freedom Award by the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria in appreciation of my "meritorious, outstanding and selfless service to the promotion of the Rule of law in Nigeria."
In the fight of the foregoing, Your Lordship will agree with me that the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee decided to deny me the award of Senior Advocate of Nigeria on the basis of my ideological stance. I am therefore compelled to crave Your Lordship's indulgence to inquire into the allegation of political bias in the selection process which led the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee to subject my application to unwarranted discrimination on the ground of "political views or affiliation."

Yours sincerely,