ADEKUNLE OJO THE GREATEST WINNER OF THE NBA 2008 ELECTIONS

On Friday 28th August 2008, the most important event of the just concluded annual conference of the Nigerian Bar Association took place at the central venue, the International Conference Centre. That event was the inauguration of the newly composed 14 newly executive committee leadership of the association.

Just about five hundred spectators mostly made up of conferees themselves and conferee watchers, to wit, journalists. This number was about a twentieth fraction of the whole that had participated in the week-long-mis-managed ‘fiesta’.
Those who did not care to stay behind to watch the coronation of the new leaders should not be blamed. By the evening of the previous day, the hurly-burly of the elections of that day (28th August that produced the new-leaders had been done-winners and losers had been known via a neat, free, fair and open election.

In the said elections, four of the office holders were returned unopposed. Those were the ones who strolled, so to say, into power. They were Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) President, Ganiyu Ajape (Welfare Secretary) Linda Bala (Legal Adviser) and Gbolahan Gbadamosi (Assistant Publicity Secretary). One of the ‘srollers’, Rotimi Akeredolu, strictly speaking did not actually stroll into power, he could be said to have sailed into power after employing a ‘puff-adder’ tactics to successfully scare off a potentially dangerous rival Dele Adesina SAN from squaring off with him in he ring. But that is a story (a sweet, educative one for that matter) for another day.

The remaining ten officers, to wit Ikeazor Akaraiwe (1st Vice-President), Adekunle Ojo (2nd Vice-President) Barth Aniche-Okoye (3rd Vice-President) Ibrahim Eddy Mark (General Secretary), Francis N. Ekwere (1st Assistant Secretary), Muheeb Komolafe (2nd Assistant secretary), Marc Enamhe (Financial Secretary) Steve Onyechi Ononye (Assistant Financial Secretary) Tess Morris-Okeke (Treasurer) and Murtala Oladimeji Abdul-Rasheed (Publicity Secretary) fought their way to power.

In this category of officers, some had easier wins than others. For example Tess Morris-Okeke roared to the Treasurer position with a whopping 746 Votes leaving her only rival, hapless Ike Uko with a miserable 269 votes. Marc Enamhe on his own part chinched the financial secretary post by separating himself from the loser, Adetutu Siyonbola with 78 votes (541 to 463). As for Steve Ononye he cut Adekunle Ajasa of the Ikeja bar to size with a comfortable lead margin of 407 to 358 votes while the Mathisis Aodokemba who came last got 239 votes. Also Barth Okoye (552) became the 3rd vice president at the expense of Bode Makinde (405) and Edith Adoh Ogbuta (69). Murtala Oladimeji defeated his closest rival with almost 200 votes. He scored 443 votes while Denis Agbaga 262, Nwanunu Ogbona 261 and Rommy Mums 22. For the post of 1st Vice President Blessing Ukiri got a hiding from Ikeazor Akaraiwe who polled 645 votes to Ukiri 316 votes.

It was different strokes for these four officers Adekunle Ojo (2nd Vice-President) Ibrahim Mark (Gen Secretary) and Moheeb Komolafe (2nd Assistant Secretary) and Francis Ekwere (1St Assistant Secretary). These four came to power almost by the skin of their teeth. Komolafe with 366 votes won the race to become the 2nd Assistant Secretary with only three votes as against Jonathan Ainerua who got 363 votes while Paul Abiala got 280 votes. Ibrahim Eddy Mark got the nod to legitimately parade himself as General Secretary with a mere 15 votes lead over his closest rival Okey Ohwonda who polled 402 votes. In that same contest Carol Ajie with 133 votes came with distant third, G.C. Igbokwe fourth with 48 votes Anthony Oka fifth with 27 votes. Adekunle Ojo in his own case led the pack with 317 votes defeating his closest rival Rueben James with a mere 30 votes, with Iniabasi Udobong came third with 240 votes, N.H Nwankwo fourth with 137 votes and C.A.C Uzoegwu fifth with 53 votes. As for Francis Ekwere he became 1st Assistant Secretary at the expense of Asafa Olalekan Yusuf his closest rival with only 36 votes scoring 417 to Yusuf’s 381. Joe Egwu came last in that race with 219 votes

In the considered opinion of this magazine Adekunle ojo was the greatest winner of the election. Yes he did not have the highest number of votes like Tess Morris-Okeke The treasurer or crushed a political giant, the way an Ikeazor Akariwe (1st Vice President) dismantled and demystified a valiant like Blessing Ukiri but Ojo’s victory was singular and unique in one significant regard-he won in defiance of the POLITICS OF TRIBALISM which ethnic irredentist groups like the Northern Lawyers Forum, Eastern Bar Forum and Egbe Amofin Yoruba (west) have glorified and regularly touted as the only sure-fire platform of gaining important political office, in the NBA at the national level.

Most of the leaders and promoters of these tribal irrendentist groups are elderly, relatively wealthy lawyers, thus the leadership characteristics of these groups are tribal, plutocratic and gerontocratic. A good number of the few younger lawyers who have roles to play in the leadership of the groups are essentially messengers and (ego) massagers of the “great, venerable ones”.

Taking advantage of the respect people have for their advanced age at the bar and in life as well their positions in life, leaders of tribal lawyers groups, in their enclaves make their preferences of available candidates and in almost feudal manner and method work to impose their preferences on the voters, working through the leadership of branches of the NBA in the respective regions. Since these irrendentist groups are sectional and tribal, the stark truth is that they are not nationalistic in outlook nor any great promoter of merit and are consequently and basically unprogressive. Of course it is highly anomalous to think of the groups as either reformatory or revolutionary.

Nonetheless because of their posturing as the king-makers of the NBA many a candidate crawls to them for support and blessing and bow out of contest, where they fail to get the support of the ‘ethnic irrendentist groups.’ So much in awe of the influence of these irredentist groups, that the incumbent president, Rotimi Akeredolu, a reputed fire-eater and a progressive not only found his way to the tribal power caucus in his ethnic base, (Egbe Amofin Yoruba) he so wormed his way into the heart of the leadership of the group that they declared him their sole candidate and scared off a ‘scareable’ contender, Dele Adesina SAN from the race completely even though Adesina was a foundation member of the Egbe. Not only that, Akeredolu in the thick of his puff-adder style campaign trumpeted it for all to hear that other irrendentist groups particularly “Eastern bar Forum have endorsed me!”

In this year's elections the only candidate in the big league who did not seek to actualize his ambition on the platform of tribal/regional approval was Adekunle Ojo, the incumbent 2nd Vice President. Arguably a candidate like Blessing Ukiri (1st Vice President) could be said to be in the same league but the important distinction was that while Ojo did not even attempt to seek approval of his political ambition from the Egbe Amofin Yoruba the irrendentist group in his area (west), Ukiri actually did that of his (Eastern Bar Forum) but only marched on defiantly after he failed to gain the support of the EBF.

In retrospect, it is doubtful that even if Ojo had sought the blessing of the Egbe Amofin, whether he would have received her blessing. Elated and gratified that the Egbe has produced the ‘President without opposition’ in the person of Rotimi Akeredolu SAN, the Egbe in their wisdom traded off all other big league posts (The three Vice-Presidencies and the General Secretary) to other regions. This predisposition was said to be based on the interest of the Egbe to see that the NBA leadership reflected federal character and balance.

Although even recent history taught otherwise, the Egbe had no interest in that aspect of history. In 2000 O.C.J Okocha SAN became president while General Secretary was Phillip Umeh. Both were South Eastherner Nigerians. In 2002, Wole Olanipekun SAN was president, Funke Adekoya SAN was 1st Vice-President, Dele Adesina was General Secretary. All of them were Yorubas and south Westerners and apparently the Heavens did not fall. That regime is still regarded as the best so far in the NBA since 1992.

In 2004-2005 both the president and 1st Vice-President Bayo Ojo and Lanke Odogiyan were not only Yorubas but both practiced in the North. In 2006-2008, the president, 1sdt vice president, 2nd vice-president (Agbakoba, George and Blessing Ukiri) are all South Easterners, with the 1st and 2nd vie-president from the same branch-PortHarcourt).
Holding to their interesting “federal spread” agenda, the Egbe Amofin Yoruba talked out Nurudeen Ogbara, the energetic and resourceful chairman of the NBA Ikorodu branch out of the contest for the position of Genral Secretary. Ogbara’s credentials count for nothing in the calculus of the Egbe, even though he is the only westerner in the race as the dynamics of politics go, had a fair chance of winning considering all the other contestant are South-Easterners.

For the same reason, the Egbe was not disposed to the candidacy of Adekunle Ojo in the 2nd Vice-President slot. However it would appear that the Egbe had some other reasons for their disapproval of Ojo’s candidacy.
At her meeting of the 26th August 2008, in Abuja, Ojo’s candidacy was an item of discussion. While nobody came out pointedly to ask Ojo to drop his ambition the Egbe would have felt better with his withdrawal from the race.

Curiously the Egbe openly and enthsiastically endorsed Bode Makinde, a Yoruba too, but of Yola Branch for the 3rd Vice-Presidency. According to the Egbe, the Northern caucus was promoting Makinde a Yoruba, as their candidate because he practiced in the North and in return was asking for support of the Egbe for their prime candidates, presumably Reuben James of Kaduna branch and Ibrahim Mark for General Secretary.

Of all the chieftains of the Egbe present at the meeting, it was only Mrs. Adekoya who spoke out clearly in favour of Ojo’s candidacy. “What have we got to lose if we support our own son, whom we know is a good material?” asked the lady. There was no clear answer to that plain and reasonable question.

On the 27th September 2007, the Egbe called another meeting of its chieftains and chairman of the various branches of the NBA in the West.
It was a meeting that clearly revealed the exclusive methodology of the Egbe. At the venue, the chieftains, about ten of them led by Chief Bamidele Aiku S.A.N huddled together in ‘tight’ conference while the chairmen were kept waiting and idling away, looking very inch like a corps of pressmen waiting for a post conference press briefing!
After the Egbe chieftains finished their meetings, the chairmen were called and a list of names of “approved” candidates for various pots under contention was released. The list included Adekunle Ojo’s name.

On the surface it appeared everything was okay but in reality the issue of Ojo’s candidacy was far from settled in the Egbe. The list actually was a dummy. Fortunately Ojo and his campaign organisation were not fooled.
They correctly smelled greater danger in the “approval” of the Egbe. A band of hardy, shrewd campaigners the Ojoists did not go home – rejoicing at the Egbe’s ‘approval’ of their candidate, but rather revived their campaign machine, the harder, so much so that as at 2.00a.m on the morning of the Election Day, they were searching reaching out to delegates, especially those from the Northern part of the country.
Ojo’s campaign effectively started middle of July 2008, at least two months late. The take-off was delayed by the succession crisis that rocked the Ikeja bar, Ojo’s home base at the tail end of the Niyi Idowu administration.

The problem was because the strongest political caucus in the Ikeja imploded and split into three factions. The biggest of the faction included Ojo and it was that faction that eventually carried the day, sweeping the polls completely, leaving not even crumbs for the vanquished opponents, their former comrades.

The victory was costly and took precious time. It was not until June 30 2008 that the new leadership of the Ikeja bar came on board; traditionally in the Ikeja bar, new leaderships emerge on the 1st Monday of the month of June.
Having secured the home base, the Ojoists threw their considerable energy into the quest to make Ojo become the 2nd Vice-President. Road campaigns were mounted ceaselessly into various parts of the country, such that within a space of three weeks, no less than five thousand kilometers were covered.

These campaigns were not quiet or lonely affairs. Believing the Adekunle Ojo was an excellent Tiger bar product, the Ojoist simply branded his candidacy as an Ikeja Bar Project.
To actualize the project, the Ojoists firmly in power in Ikeja donated completely the campaign veteran Adesina Ogunlana, Publisher of the Squib and Welfare Secretary of the bar to the Adekunle Ojo campaign organization as Chief, while other key members of the Executive, including the very chairman became members. More, the bus of the branch was thrown in as campaign material, and it was this branded vehicle that the Ojoists rode like a Bacephelaphus to the nooks and crannies of Nigeria in search of votes. It was clear that if the group had lost the struggle to provide the successor to the Niyi Idowu leadership the Ikeja bar, the funds also poured into the Ojo for 2nd Vice-President would have died ab ini tio war-chest of the Ojoists from open and secret friends and sympathisers of the group. The campaigners had an easy time selling their product in all their travels.

At the Onitsha NEC, Ojo had given a heart-warming performance at the speech-making programme for candidates. Even though he spoke for just about three minutes he had impressed many of his listeners as a bold, resourceful, pragmatic, “action man” who would do well in the 2nd Vice-President position.

But his Onitsha performance, scintillating as it was, it was a mere fillip. Ojo’s dues as a competent bar leader had been paid in those glorious years of his chairmanship of the Tiger Bar. It was a fact that so pro-active was the Ikeja bar under Ojo, than when he as chairman spoke, layman often thought it was the president of the NBA that was on the air.
Yet such a good hand, left to the Egbe should be rusticated and prevented from serving the NBA at a larger for a, to achieve a “federal spread”.
In the race for the 2nd Vice-President there were five candidates but only three – Ojo, Rueben Jame and Udobong had any real enhances of winning. The other two – N.H Nwankwo of Owerri branch and C.A.C Uzoegwu chances were chances were hopeless, as the Squib in its conference edition of 25th August 2008 correctly divined.

Of the three leading candidates only the one was not dependent on ethnic/regional support. Rueben James of the Kaduna branch relied heavily on block votes coming fromt eh North as well as alliance with the Egbe Amofuin – Yoruba, who clearly favoured the passive Northerner to the at first, that it was going to be a classic illustration of the Yoruba adage
“Kirakita o dola
Oluwa ni gbe ni gaa!”

After the voting, the sorting and counting of the ballot papers, took about ninety minutes. These ninety minutes were like ninety years, as victory only kissed Ojo’s fore-head, only about the last ten minutes.
Infact the very first thirty minutes were very bad as votes for Rueben James just kept tumbling. James’ pile continue to grow Yong Turk from Ikeja.

Iniabasi Udobong relied on block votes from the Eastern Region, courtesy of the Eastern Bar Forum which had adopted him. To his credit too, as better information later showed, he made some campaign outside his South-East base.
Ojo, the eventual winner of the contest was the only candidate who put his destiny and fortunes in the hands “of delegates wherever they can be found in Nigeria.”

To be sure, Ojo had the busier, paciest and the most frenetic campaign in the race, but on the actual day of voting, it appeared Bigger, falter and high while Ojo’s retained an embrassing dwarfish stature. For every single Ojo’s vote, six, even seven of Rueben James' would come in. It was a repeat of the famous 1999 Peoples Democratic Party’s primary Election Abuja of Obasanjo, Obasanjo, Obasanjo, Obasanjo, Obasanjo, Obasanjo, Obasanjo, Ekwueme”!
Adesina Ogunlana and Seyi Olawunmi, Ojo’s agents could not believe their eyes. It was not looking like a mere defeat for Ojo a humiliating rout of their candidate. And that certainly was not what they came there to meet.
At a point Ogunlana’s joke that there was too much tension in the atmosphere was confirmed by Linda Bala, Rueben James’ agent in a cool confident.
“There is no tension for me. I came here with faith and as you can see, my faith is working for me”!
And Ogunlana had no choice but to reply gamely “Time will tell” but the two Ojoists were only trying to hide their worst fears.

He remembered that two years ago, Ojo had lost out to Blessing Ukiri for the same position despite a brilliant and hard campaign. He remembered the lecture that he and Ojo had received from Niyi Akinlola SAN, just about an hour ago, while voting was in progress that it was unwise of anyone to disregard the wisdom and influence of the Egbe Amofin. Boasted the learned silk “We (Egb Amofin elders) are like the proverbial door- we see (into) the inside and of course we see (into) the outside. You have to understand the political arithmetic (of ethnicity) in the NBA”
He remembered the July 2008 warning of a Senior Progressive Bar Forum (Ojo’s political group in the NBA) there PBF members especially outside Ikeja that would work against Ojo’s interests in the election.
Half-way into the sorting of votes, the tide started slowly to turn against Rueben James. More and more votes began to pour in for both Ojo and Udobong. James’ leadership got arrested, than detained, while Ojo continued to catch up with him it was now Linda Balas’s turn to sweat and squirm.
Udobong’s pile too continued to rise but he was not too much of a threat to anybody.
Nobody knew exactly when James surrended his lead to Ojo but the important fact was that Ojo won. He snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, almost at the last minute.
It was one victory that clearly demistified and debarked the propaganda of the invicibility of regional/ethnic power caucuses, particularly the Egbe Amofin Yoruba.

For those who know their history the Egbe was actually a paper tiger and was paling into insignificance before the timidity of Dele Adesina S.A.N allowed the Egbe to produce a sensational coup of installing a so called “consensus” candidate the president of the Nigerian Bar Association in 2008 in the person of Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu SAN.

It is a historical fact that in 2004, the Egbe turned her back on Chief Bayo Ojo SAN, giving their support to A.B Mahmoud SAN of Kano. Mahmoud lost. In 2005, the Egbe was opposed to the emergence of Prince Lanke Odogiyon also a Yoruba, as president of NBA but the president became president.

In 2006, in a glaring case of inconsistency and contradiction, the Egbe had pioneered the controversial zoning formula lent their support to the Westerner, to Funke Adekoya’s (SAN) bid to become president even when the zoning formula favoured the East.
Of course, Adekoya came an embarrassing last in a race that on sheer merit, she was the best and most suitable. Egbe, Chief Aluko-Olokun S.A.N of the Kaduna branch. On Friday the 29th August 2008, the learned silk came to the International Conference Centre, obviously to attend the new leaders of the Association elected the previous day. There at the “verandah” of the ICC, he saw Adekunle Ojo receiving congratulations from friends and foes yesterday but friends today, alike. The old man moved over to Ojo and spoke these unforgettable lines:

"Ha, I campaigned against you yesterday. I campaigned o, but you won. This (your victory) could only be by God’s favour. That your God is powerful. Continue to worship Him. We worked against you because we were afraid that the Hausas will complain that they have no top-notcher in the new administration. But little did we know that even the Hausa people themselves would vote for you.
Now that you have won, we should accept it as the wish of God."

NBA 2008 ELECTIONS: WHO WINS, WHO LOSES?

It was in the mid-70s. A crowd of about one hundred and fifty had gathered in the small playing field of a little primary school. They were not there for a soccer match or a religious programme. They had come to be entertained by a magician. A song was see-sawing through the crowd.
“Come and see
American wonder,
Come and see
American wonder,”
The ‘wonder’ that the crowd had come to see was right in the middle of the centre - a headless human body, yet talking¸ with hands and legs very much alive and active.
In those days, in our climes magicians were regarded as supermen, truly capable in fact of achieving feats as having a headless being eating and talking. Only a few realised that the so called headless wonders are nothing than a jiggery-pokery created strictly to entertain a naive crowd and transfer the contents of their pockets to the supermen’s.
In the political affairs of the Nigerian Bar Association, specifidcally the approaching general elections taking place on Thursday 28th August 2008, what is on ground presently can, in a light-hearted manner be said to be a case of a “bodyless wonder” as opposed to the “headless wonder” of the magical tricks of yore afore-mentioned.
Watchers and followers of the issues and trends in the political currents of the NBA will easily appreciate the ‘bodyless wonder’ label. There are fourteen offices in the Executive Committee of the Association to wit President, Vice-President(s) (3), General Secretary, 1st Assistant Secretary, 2nd Assistant Secretary, 2nd Assistant Secretary, Treasurer, Financial Secretary, Publicity Secretary, Assistant publicity Secretary, Welfare Secretary.
Incidentally, in the 2008 General elections, only ten out of these fourteen offices are open to contest, as four have been filled by candidates who returned unopposed.
These four offices are President (Oluwarotimi Akeredolu S.A.N), Legal Adviser (Linda Rose Bala) and Assistant Publicity Secretary (Gbolahan Gbadamosi) and Welfare Secretary (Ganiyu Ajape). So, as the situation is, the apex leadership of the association is already determined, sans contest.
The story of how Akeredolu S.A.N attained the presidency of the NBA in 2008 without contest and the implications of this “strange development” will take quite a while to tell and absorb. So, we will not let it detain us here.
Clearly, the absence of a presidential contest in the forthcoming elections has lessened the quality of excitement in the politics of the association. But it has by no means extinguished the heat thereof, at least in the contest in the following offices: 1st Vice-President, 2nd Vice-President, 3rd Vice-President, General Secretary, and Publicity Secretary.
Infact, the contest in some of the afore-mentioned offices, as our analysis will show are not only very keen but intriguing.

THE 1ST VICE-PRESIDENCY
There are only two contestants in this race – Ikeazor Akaraiwe and Blessing Ukiri. Both men are called to the bar the same year, in 1985. They are also from Delta State of Nigeria and both practice in Southern Nigeria. While Akaraiwe, who at 46 is the younger man by two years, practices in Enugu, Ukiri practices in Port-Harcourt.
The two contestants are hinging their electability on various strengths. For example, Ukiri who definitely leads in terms of years of cognate experience and exposure at the leadership cadre of the NBA at the national level (was a Former National Financial Secretary, 1998-2000, 3rd National Vice-President, 2002-2004, 2nd National Vice-President, 2006-2008) boasts of having the proper and adequate grooming and pedigree to successfully serve as the association’s 1st Vice-President. On the other hand, Akaraiwe the relative “green horn” at national level leadership, but who had served commendably well as a Former Chairman of the Enugu branch of the NBA, and who wears urbanity suavely as a well-fitted suit is challenging the Ukiri’s presence with a call for “fresh blood and fresh vision” in the running of the affairs of the NBA, parading himself as a man with a better vision and greater integrity than his rival.
Akaraiwe’s posturing may have struck a chord with some voters who contend that Ukiri has stayed too long in the corridor of power and should yield ground to a new face.
However attractive, even seductive as the Akaraiwe persona maybe, the question is whether, he is strong enough to stop Ukiri from becoming the 1st Vice-President of the NBA? No doubt a veteran bar man, Ukiri is easily one of the best known faces in the NBA. A ready mixer, who has crawled with the lowly and flown with the mighty, for years in the corridor of power in the NBA, it is not out of place to dub Ukiri “Mr. Contacts.” Ukiri’s history of electoral contest in the NBA show that, Akaraiwe, despite the alleged official support of the Eastern Bar Forum for him, will have an uphill task in upstaging.
In the three previous elections he had participated in, at the national level, Ukiri had only lost one, and this very narrowly (by two votes) to D.D Azura of the Yola branch in 2004 in his quest to become the 2nd Vice-President.
In 2006, Ukiri overcame a very stiff challenge from his only rival, Adekunle Ojo Esq, the famous chairman of the prominent Ikeja branch to become the 2nd Vice-President of the Association.
A veteran of NBA politicking, Ukiri comes armed with a big campaign chest, to ensure that delegates sympathetic to his cause and even those who are undecided cast their ballots for him.
Except something dramatic and drastic happens, especially in the last three days before the election debonair, Akaraiwe may find himself on the ground gasping for breath. His radiant flower may not survive the harsh, hot breath of the political opposition.

2ND VICE-PRESIDENCY
There are five contestants for the office of the second Vice-Presidency. They are as follows C.A.C Uzoegwu (Owerri), Reuben James (Kaduna), Iniabasi Udobong (Uyo), Adekunle Ojo (Ikeja) and N.H Nwakwo (Owerri).
A realistic appraisal of the strength of these contestants show that only three are in serious contention - Adekunle Ojo, Reuben James and Iniabsi Udobong. While C.A.C Uzoegwu is virtually unknown at the national level of the NBA and N.H Nwankwo who is better known appears to be in the race, either for the sheer fun of it or merely to be known, as an also run considering the fact that his campaign so far has the energy of a snoring ox. Of the three “serious candidates”, as at press time, the odds appear to favour Adekunle Ojo, who has been quite energetic in his cross-country campaigns.
The former leader of the famous Ikeja leader of the NBA who did extremely well as the chairman of the Tiger branch between year 2004-2006 is not only well respected and accepted in the Southwest, his immediate Constituency, but he has, by his relentless campaigns to many branches of the NBA in the Eastern, Midwestern and Northern parts of the country in the last four weeks, gained serious in-roads in all these areas, where his big theme and visions may be translated thus:-
“A Vice-president is the President of his zone and his the connection of the central leadership with the branches” who.
Bold, assertive without being aggressive, Ojo could be an arresting, even scintillating public speaker. This ability was on display at the Onitsha NEC meeting where he completely out-shone his opponents during the speech-making programme of the candidates in the elections.
Inspite of his strengths and present advantages on the field, it is not yet a done deal that Ojo will get the 2nd Vice-Presidency.
Also in contention is Reuben James, the Kaduna based incumbent 3rd Vice-Chairman of the NBA. Inspite of the height of the political stakes, it is curious that James is relying only on a singular weapon and system to become the next 2nd Vice-President of the NBA. This weapon is called “block votes” or regional anointing.” James hopes to gain massive support from Northern branches who are his immediate constituency, not by direct approach and campaign to these branches but by re-jigging the Northern tribal counterpart of the West’s “Egbe Amofin Yoruba” and the East’s “Eastern Bar Forum” known as the Arewa Lawyers Forum, in a way such that forum will no longer be open to any Northern based legal practitioner but only to practitioners who ethnically or regionally are from the North.
Fortunately or unfortunately, this move is causing strong winds of disaffection amongst legal practitioners in the North, as those who are not of northern extraction but practice there, feel alienated and as such are prepared to refuse Reuben James and any of his co-travelers any electoral support.
Another complaint against James is that he appears rather complacent in his attitude of minimal physical campaign, even in the North the man hardly stepped out of his Kaduna base. But interestingly, this tepid and regular candidate appears to be acceptable to certain chieftains of the Western Yoruba irredentist lawyers group (Egbe Amofin Yoruba) ahead of Adekunle Ojo, on the ‘wonderful’ ground that no Yoruba ought to hold any vice-presidential posts since the presidency is occupied by a Yoruba.
In the East, conventional wisdom is that James has little support but that may change, if he enjoys favourable horse-trading in Abuja. Such an ‘if’ appears doubtful however in the face of the candidacy of Iniabasi Udobong of Uyo branch who is said to be the anointed candidate of the Eastern Bar Forum.
The possibility of Udobong succeeding in the race exist but appears very slim. Even less colourful that the rather passive James, Abasi has no known pedigree in the NBA, at least beyond his Uyo enclave and as such should not trouble the two front runners, Ojo and James, particularly the former, particularly since he like James, has not done much in terms of road campaigns like Ojo.

3RD VICE-PRESIDENCY
Of the three contestants in this category-Bode Makinde, Barth Okoye-Aniche and Sir Edike Ike Adoh-Ogbuta, only one name does not ring a bell-Adoh Ogbuta’s.
Except for lawyers in Agbor and its immediate environs Adoh-Ogbuta could well have been a Martian, so much for the completeness of his anonymity.
The other two candidates are by no means Messers Anonymous, as both are incumbent national officers. Arguably the better known of the duo is Barth Aniche-Okoye, who between 2004 and 2006 was NBA’s publicity secretary and has been the Welfare Secretary since 2006.
Bode Makinde, is the outgoing Financial Secretary of the association and has become fairly well known too in the association.
It is either of these two men who will become the third vice-president. The question is who? Because Makinde is a westerner based in far North (Yola) Makinde might just beat Aniche Okoye to it, since he has enough pleasant political character to collect votes easily in the west, by reasons of consanguinity and substantially too in the North by reasons of affinity, leaving Aniche only votes from the Eastern part of the country and some parts of the Midwest.
Bode Makinde, despite certain resentment against Anichie-Okoye for having stayed too long a stay in the corridor of power in the NBA and becoming one of the so called and much derided. “NBA practitioners” would be naïve to think that the contest is already won. Far from it!
This is because in Aniche-Okoye, lies a formidable rival who is a shrewd political animal, gifted with a warm, friendly personality. Very personable, Aniche-Okoye has lots of contacts in the NBA, and quite good at one-on-one political persuasion tactics. A serious contender that he is, Anichie-Okoye even carried his campaigns to the west, quietly making new contacts and renewing old friendship.
That means that Makinde cannot take all the votes in the west for granted and for that matter, even those in the very North where he, practice wise, comes from.
From all indications, the two contestants may end the race, neck to neck. For now, it is rather too close to call.

GENERAL SECRETARYSHIP
In the tradition of the NBA, only the presidency is coveted more than the office of the General Secretary. The reason is not far fetched-the office of the General Secretary under the NBA constitution is central to the administration of the association and has rightfully earned the appellation the “engine room”.
Now, (2008) like in the past, there is quite a crowd of candidates out there, six in fact, contending for this office which however can only accommodate only one of them. The six are as follows: Anthony Oka (Abakaliki), Carol Ajie (Lagos), Ibrahim Eddy Mark (Maiduguri), Chidi Nworka (Owerri), Okey Ohwonda (Port-Harcourt) and G.C. Igbokwe (Benin).
Clearly this is a very well stretched field, with as many opponents, as diverse abilities, strengths and weaknesses. None, on individual basis is a push over, but in political skills and weights, some are, for certain factors more formidable than others.
In terms of sheer visibility, but not necessarily popularity or acceptability, the foremost candidate is Carol Ajie, the former Secretary of the Lagos Branch and who holds the record of being the most consistent (some say perennial or perpetual) same office - contestant in the NBA.
Ajie is contesting the General Secretary position for a record of fifth time. In year 2000, when she first came out, the race went to Chief Phillip Umeh of the same Lagos Branch. In 2002, she and others lost to Dele Adesina S.A.N. In 2004, she was again in the losers’ corner when, Nimi Walson Jack of Port-Harcourt carried the day. In 2006, when she had her best outing till date, by coming second in a four cornered race, the medal went to Rafiu Lawal-Rabana of the Ilorin branch.
In this year’s contest, can the self dubbed Abraham Lincoln of the NBA gain her heart desire? If the contest were only among her and G.C. Igbokwe, Anthony Oka and Chidi Nworka, the answer might be an easy YES.
As far as the Squib can see, Igbokwe, Oka and Nworka have slim chances of clinching the post. Igbokwe who is contesting the secretary for the third time simply lacks the colour and clout to generate massive sympathy from voters. Even in his immediate constituency Edo State and by extension Delta State, a more vigorous and compelling campaigner in the person of Carol Ajie appears to have gained the upper hand. Probably for lack of adequate campaign funds and delayed take-offs, Igbokwe does not possess enough stature to come out tops.
As for Anthony Oka, his chances do not appear too bright inspite of his personal brightness and strong self-will. A strong contender for the post of General Secretary must campaign-wise be very mobile, and touching base with as many branches of the association as possible, in addition to having a welter of contacts, and a dependable network of allies.
However since Oka appears to be lacking in direct campaign mobility and has to jostle from the rear for space in the Eastern Bar Forum against Okey Ohwonda, it will be a miracle if he comes within the first three in the contest.
This year, in all probability will not be Chidi Nworka’s year. Sadly, not for reasons of ability. At the Onitsha NEC meeting, Nworka had one of the best presentations of all the candidates in their speech-making. Tall, calm and collected, Nworka came across as a knowledgeable person who can responsibly discharge the duties of the NBA general secretary. But mere ability is not enough to gain a candidate the big office of a general secretary of the NBA.
The hottest names in the race belong to Okey Ohwonda and Ibrahim Eddy Mark. Incidentally both of them are Ikwerre indigenes of River State. Also both of them have links to O.C.J Okocha S.A.N,the godfather of NBA politics in the South East, although Okocha is said to have pitched his political tent over Ohwonda.
Ohwonda also officially has the blessing of the Eastern Bar Forum, although as at press time other candidates like Oka, Nworka who are from the East have kicked against the adoption of Ohwonda by the EBF and are refusing to back down from the race.
Ohwonda has carried his campaign well beyond the Eastern Bar forum, into many parts of the country. He went deeply into the North, not forgetting the West and the Mid-Western parts.
Armed with an impressive campaign chest, which is the envy of his rivals, Ohwonda is certainly a big-contender in this race. But formidable too is Ibrahim Eddy Mark. A veteran bar man just like Ohwonda, he has the added advantage of having the right to claim multiple constituencies, being a South-Southerner but having his practice base in Maiduguri (Far North) meaning that he is by birth and ethnicity, a Southerner but by practice location, a Northerner.
Pleasant and a ready mixer, Mark is being touted as the ready-made candidate of the Arewa Bar Forum. Nothing however in this regard is certain for the moment, as other candidates particularly Ohwonda has repeatedly crossed the Niger to fish for votes. On his part Ibrahim has sailed down the Benue to hunt for votes too in the South generally.
At the end of the day, the fate of these two may be determined one way or the other by one factor:- last minute horse trading between their respective god-fathers and caucuses.
Interestingly, both of them are in danger of canceling out each other and giving opportunity for Carol ‘Abe Lincolin’ Ajie to come-in from the cold, after eight long years, to become the General Secretary of the NBA.
This is how the possibility can come to pass. Troubled in the South-East by Nworka, Oka and also by Mark in the East, Ohwonda will manage only about 60% of the votes, instead of an emphatic 80% or 90%. In return Ohwonda, Nworka and possibly Igbokwe and Oka will disturb Mark in the North, leaving him with maybe 55% of the votes. Now if both Mark and Ohwonda do poorly in Lagos and the West, with Carol in emphatic domination of the Mid-West, coupled with her steals in the East and the North, the trophy might just go to her.
This scenario may not be far fetched as it seems. In her last time out, Ajie came second, albeit a distant one, but that was only because there was no candidate strong enough in the race in 2006 to substantially weaken or affect the front runner, Lawal-Rabana.This year, the Ajie candidacy is particularly dangerous to rivals. She has adopted a seemingly potent strategy of advocating herself as the best candidate for the job on merit but also lacing same with appeals for support on the basis of gender balance and reward for persistent re-applications to get the job of General Secretary. Infact, but for the inability of Ajie to shake-off the rather vote-scaring stigma of not being a comfortably conventional persona, the chances of both Mark and Ohwonda would have been in serious danger. Nonetheless, Carol Ajie might just swing it but the odds favour Ohwonda and Mark the more with Ohwonda having a slight upper hand at least as at press time.

TREASURER
There are only two contestants here - Ike Uko of Lagos branch and Tersis Morris- Okeke. Morris Okeke had to overcome disqualification battles mounted by Uko to be in the race. Being somewhat more visible than Uko and having the support of some big fish in the NBA, as well as the blessing of the ‘large’ Port-Harcourt branch and the Eastern Bar forum, Morris Okeke seems to have a greater chance of winning Uko, who is not too well known, outside his Lagos branch.
Already Morris-Okeke is being addressed as Madam Treasurer. Is this a sign of things to come? Most likely than not is the answer, particularly as Uko appears lacking in the necessary fire power to overwhelm his opponent, in practical terms.

PUBLICITY
There are three main contenders here – Dennis Agbaga (who has been dubbed, rather uncharitably by his opponents as the “weeping candidate”, Ikechi Ogbonna Nwanunu (Isiala Ngwa) and Murtala Oladimeji Abdul-Rasheed (Kaduna) Agbaga of the Warri branch is contesting the Publicity Secretary for the third consecutive time. In 2004, he lost understandably to Barth Aniche - Okoye, in 2006, he lost shockingly to Linda Rose Bala. Will he lose again this year?
From all the readings on the ground so far, Agbaga will have to really work hard to realise his ambition. The graver threat to his success lies in the person of Abdul-Rasheed a.k.a Murray. As a rule, Northern based, South Westerner candidates are often difficult to beat, moreso as Murray is the out-going Assistant Publicity Secretary, by virtue of which post, the size of the toga of his anonymity at the national level of the NBA has substantially reduced.
To Murray’s credit, he has campaigned the hardest of the trio, even though he could have done better. As for Ikechi Nwanunu, very well known in his Isiaka Ngwa branch, it is doubtful whether his name rings a bell substantially anywhere else outside his branch or State as a bar man or activist. His campaign so far has been low-profile, with virtually non existent road campaigns, with the unfortunate consequence that this otherwise god hand is to many voters at best a disembodied voice.
However, if Nwanunu gets block votes from the Eastern Bar Forum and some string friendly votes in other parts of the country, he might just be in contention.
As for Agbaga, he got the appellation “weeping candidate” on account of his speech to the attendees of the Onitsha NEC meeting. Agbaga spent his time reminding his listeners that he was contesting consecutively for the post as if that in itself was a virtue!
Nonetheless, Agbaga’s “have mercy on me, cry-cry baby” tactics may bring additional votes to his collection, but his case would have been made much better by far and wide ranging campaigns (and on issues) and not being merely dependant on “block votes” from the Mid-Western lawyers’ Forum. As things stand today, Murtala- Abdul Rasheed Oladimeji seems to be the man to beat.

1ST ASSISTANT SECRETARY
This is a three cornered contest, that is Joe Egwu of Agbor branch, a former two time Executive office holder, actually participates. At the Onitsha NEC meeting, Egwu popularly known in the past as a “secretariat boy” did not participate in the speech making programme for candidates and he has not been seen or heard, except maybe in Agbor, Delta state, campaigning.
The other two contestants in the race - Asafa Olalekan Sanusi (Oshogbo), Francis Ekwere (Eket) also seen to have taken a joint vow not to do any form of campaigning aside distributing hand-bills during NEC meetings.
Consequently, none of the contestants has brought any zest or colour to the election. The basis of comparative analysis of their chances at the polls hardly exist then. The race may go to any of the dull trio.

2ND ASSISTANT SECRETARY
This is another seeming innocuous posts, with all the contestants virtual unknowns. With the exception of Jonathan Ainerua, the candidates have restricted their campaigns to their door steps and backyards.
Moheeb I. Komolafe of the Abuja branch is a contender and also contesting is Paul O. Abiala of Calabar branch.
If political hardwork pays, Jonathan Ainerua, a calm and collected youngman, should get the voters’ nod to occupy the office.

ASSISTANT FINANCIAL SECRETARY
There are three contestants in this category, and all of them, not so well known outside their branches. They are Mathisis Aondokemba (Bauchi), Prince Adekunle Ajasa (Ikeja) and Steve Onoye (Onitsha). Because of their unanimous anonymity, it is difficult to say who of them will emerge victorious. However, at the Onitsha NEC meeting, during the speech making event only two of the contestants showed up. They are Ajasa of Ikeja and Onoye of Onitsha. Ajasa easily stood out, partly because of his great height (6ft 4”) and his impressive credentials as a “tested and experienced banker, chartered accountant and finance expert.” He stands a good chance of getting elected.

FINANCIAL SECRETARY
There are only two contestants in this category – Adetutu Siyanbola of the Lagos branch and Marc Enamhe of Ogoja. Marc Enamhe (of the rural branches fame) is the better known of the two, notwithstanding that Siyanbola in 2002-2004 was a national officer under the Chief Wole Olanipekun S.A.N administration.
Curiously, both candidates have decided to go on minimal campaigns. The race however should go in favour of Enamhe considering his popularity vis-a-vis Siyanbola’s

IS THE NBA DYING?

SQUIB BAR NEWS

On the surface, the Nigerian Bar Association appears to be doing well, very well indeed. For one, the association is prided as the leading and credible professional association in the country, which many presume gets the ear of the government when it decides to speak.

Also, one often reads in newspapers of how certain specialized sections and fora of the NBA are doing wonderfully well.

Of course the perceived glitter on the NBA may reflect more in August when the Annual Conference holds in Abuja for the sheer number of participants that may turn up. There is safety and perhaps comfort in numbers.

Despite the rosy picture that the NBA presents to the world, there are understandable fears that the beloved association may actually be on its way to the grave. This awful possibility is, however only appreciated by reflective members of the association.

One sign that the NBA may not be in good health is that for years, the number of her branches has remained 88, as if there was a perpetual injunction on the association restraining her from enlarging her coast despite the fact that her membership swells every year with hundreds of new entrants into the legal profession. Another reason the NBA may soon be in a morbid condition is that a vast majority of lawyers, especially the young ones, do not have a sense of belonging to it. The situation is so bad that some young lawyers do not even know what the acronym ‘NBA’ stands for, talk less of caring to attend any meetings or functions of the association or her branches. It is believed among many junior lawyers that the association is unconcerned about the improvement of their welfare, particularly in terms of helping them to get gainful employment and exposure.

To make matters worse, many young lawyers, due to the poor economy of their pockets, consider attendance of certain functions of the association such as workshops, dinners and conferences, a Herculean task in terms of its financial implications.

Complaints about the high cost of participating in NBA functions is not however limited to junior lawyers. Older ones complain too. For example many lawyers are not happy that just as they pay their annual practicing fees, they have to pay under the stamp and seal scheme, before they are issued the items designed primarily to check quackery in the profession.

Lawyers are also complaining about the “exorbitant fees” they have to pay to attend the August conference of the association in Abuja. The fees have been pegged as follows:

1-5 years- N8,000.00
6-10 years- N10,000.00
11-14 years- N12,000.00
15-20 years- N20,000.00
21 years and above- N25,000.00
Senior Advocates of Nigeria- N30,000.00

Many are discomfited by the regimen of fees, which under the Olisa Agbakoba administration has grown steeper than it met it, more so as Agbakoba had boasted so self-assuredly on his way to the presidency in 2006 that he would by virtue of his influence and connections, attract a billion naira to the coffers of the NBA.

By the way, this year’s conference may not attract the kind of crowd of participants that a normal election year pulls. The reason will not just be the high cost of participation, but the fact that the quality and keenness of political contest has been considerably watered down by the absence of competition in the topmost position of the NBA leadership to wit, the presidency.

Unusually for the NBA, her topmost and most glamorous position had been handed over to a single aspirant, Rotimi Akeredolu SAN of the Ibadan branch, more or less on a no-contest platter of gold as no other person filed in nomination for the office.

For the 2008 elections, the office of the president of the association was unofficially zoned to South West Nigeria to produce the candidate. But nobody, at least as at August 2007, bargained that the office would not be contested. Of the three persons popularly believed to be in contention to replace Olisa Agbakoba SAN as president of the NBA come August 31 2008, Funke Adekoya (Mrs) SAN was the first to disappear from the scene.

By January 2007, it became apparent that Adekoya SAN, a former Vice President (2002-2004) of the association and a presidential candidate in the 2006 race, would not participate in the presidential elections of 2008 as she did not deny the claim of her withdrawal from the race. There was no explicit explanation to the expectant public on why Adekoya was no longer in the race as speculated. Some four months later, specifically in May, the second aspirant, Dele Adesina SAN, a former chairman of the prominent Ikeja branch and a former General Secretary of the NBA (2002-2004), abruptly fizzled out of contention. Adesina SAN had succumbed to the curious political scheming of a tribal political caucus (Egbe Amofin Yoruba) to which he belonged, but which preferred not only to support the candidacy of Rotimi Akeredolu SAN for president, but also maintained that they wanted nobody in their fold to contest against him, even though Akeredolu was an overnight son of the Egbe.

Friends of the Egbe’s position of “singular and consensus” candidate for the NBA presidency argue that the approach is to avoid or sharply reduce the huge cost candidates incur in running for the presidency of the NBA.

Critics however disagree on the positive values of the “singular and consensus” candidate approach, claiming that among other things, such a position cannot aid the practice of democracy in the NBA and help the association get the best man for the job or the best from the ‘no contest’ president, since he got the plum job courtesy of the anointing of a “secret college” and not through the support of the generality of voters.

The question may be asked at this juncture; how come that the presidency of the NBA is now of a nature that only very few people consider it attractive enough to contest for? Does the dearth of candidates for the top job of the association not indicate that the association itself is not in a healthy state, otherwise, why should the presidency of a supposed well respected and influential organization fail to attract competition for its biggest position?

Could the dearth of interested candidates be due to the absence of members possessed of abilities adequate to shoulder the burdens of the association’s presidency – considering the fact that the Egbe Amofin Yoruba has only two of her members interested in the NBA presidency, while no other group of lawyers or individual in South West Nigeria ventured to express interest in the post despite that the region can easily boast of a near half of all the legal practitioners in Nigeria. The Squib asks, Is the NBA dying?

HOW DAVE AJETOMOBI BECAME NBA IKEJA LEADER

It was a battle of wits, a test of might, a clash of wills, a conflict of beliefs, a display of skills, a fierce struggle between erstwhile brothers and comrades a thought provoking determination of who “owns papa's land.” It was ultimately democracy in action. And the people spoke loud and clear was the message, and it was as follows:
(a) People make leaders and not the other way round
(b) A tree does not make a forest
(c) king-makers are bigger than kings, even though kings may appear more prominent than their makers
(d) There will always be a day of reckoning for every deed, good or bad.
(e) A river that spurns its source will soon dry-up
(f) Pride goes before a fall

When Tigers, members of the Nigerian Bar Association, Ikeja gathered at the Onyx Plaza, I Sobo Arobiodu Close G.R.A Ikeja, Lagos on 30th June 2008, it was not for a party. It was for the very serious business of choosing whom their prime leaders, Chairman and General Secretary for the next two years would be. A week before then, some of their other new leaders in persons of Dare Akande Esq. (1st Vice Chairman) Terry Adeniji Badmus (2nd Vice Chairman) Leye Omitola (Financial Secretary) Lateef Abdusalam (Publicity Secretary) and Emmanuel Otobo (Social Secretary) had been known. The vice-chairmen, the publicity secretary and the social secretary had rode into office on the back of the disqualification of their respective opponents by the Layi Babatunde (S.A.N) Electoral Committee, while the financial secretary had no opponent. The Electoral Committee had also declared the posts of Welfare Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant General Secretary, vacant following the earlier disqualification of all the contestants in the posts.

In the contest for chairman, were only two candidates, Dave Ajetomobi 1st Vice-Chairman in the Niyi Idowu administration and Beckley Abioye the General Secretary in the same administration. They would have been four but the disqualification axe of the Electoral Committee had struck down the ambition of Niyi Akinmola Esq. and Dele Oloke, who were the other aspirants.

In the contest for General Secretary, there were only two candidates too - Isa Mohammed Buhari and Titilayo Osagie, Mrs.
Last week, in our volume 8 No 32 edition (re-printed in this edition) the Squib had predicted that Dave Ajetomobi and Isa Mohammed Buhari had the greater chances of wining the contests.

The prediction did not fail. Buhari coasted to victory with about 59% of the total votes cast to wit 212 votes to Titi Osagie's 149 votes. To become the chairman, Ajetomobi took 60% (221) of the votes leaving Beckley Abioye gasping with the remainder 40% (138 votes)
It was in the eyes of many observers, a fitting end to the unreasonable, even obnoxious and reckless ambitions of Niyi Idowu, the immediate past chairman of the branch, to single handedly install his successor in office. In pursuit of his interesting project, Idowu found a willing ally and tool in Beckley Abioye, who had tasted the sweet but heady wine of power in the office of the General Secretary of the famous Ikeja bar.

It was a long term project but destined to crash land eventually. It may never he fully understood why Idowu decided to go on his dismal one man mission of installing his successor but there are enough indications to suggest his decision was based nothing more than a hitherto hidden bitterness and resentment of some members of his former political caucus like Adekunle Ojo and Adesina Ogunlana whom he felt were waxing too strong in the political firmament of NBA Ikeja politics.

Another strong but clear impetus for this action was his exaggerated opinion about his popularity, influence and mastery of the strategies and tactics of political warfare and conquest combined with a lack of healthy respect for the capacities of all his former “comrades at arms” in the caucus.

What fuelled this strange delusion in the former chairman of the NBA was nothing more than his all too easy elections victories over Dele Oloke, first in 2004 to become the 1st vice chairman of the Tigers and then secondly in 2006 to become the chairman. Idowu, forgot however that Oloke was actually not a formidable opponent, worthy enough to match, talk-less of beating the group that produced him (Idowu) and which has had a hegemonistic hold on the politics of the Ikeja bar, possibly for the 'interregnum' of the Bisi Ade-Ademuwagun chairmanship (2000-2004) for more than a decade now.

The final stimulant that obviously goaded Idowu into rebellion and consequent betrayal of his group was the prominence that both he and his adopted political son Beckley Abioye enjoyed courtesy of their top positions as chairman and secretary of the Tiger branch between 2006and 2008. Both believed that the power of incumbency they enjoyed would certainly be of good help to their cause.

The definite start of the Beckley Abioye for chairman programme took place around August 2007 but it was kept under wraps, although Idowu even then was heard by some geckos boasting in some quarters that “I will show those people in the next election”
Almost from the on-set however, the plot to make Abioye, Idowu's successor started to fail, with the refusal of Yinka Farounbi, a senior member of the caucus and a key executive office holder to join on. Farounbi's demurral ought to have warned the duo of Idowu and Abioye off their scheme, particularly Abioye since, he Faroubi was Abioye's sponsor into the influential power caucus. Farounbi was of the firm opinion that Ajetomobi who was senior in all political respects, in the caucus, in the NBA, and at the bar, to Abioye, who was actually the most junior in the caucus, should be Idowu's successor.

Faroubi's reasonable stance and wise counsel was however ignored by Idowu and Abioye who continued to push on with their plans. Still it was not ripe for them to show their hands clearly to the caucus, led by Dare Akande Esq, the newly elected 1st vice-chairman of the NBA.

But it was not only Idowu and Abioye who would rebel against the obvious choice of the caucus for the chairmanship of the Ikeja bar, after Idowu, to wit Dave Ajetomobi. Another rebel was Niyi Akinmola Esq, the immediate past second vice-chairman of the branch and a foundation member of the caucus. Instead of waiting for his turn to get promoted by the caucus as per her tradition, Akinmola, fearing that he might be out-ranked later, decided to take his fate in his hands. He too approached Farounbi for support but again that worthy refused, insisting on following the tradition of the caucus in preferring the senior to the junior except in special circumstances.

Interestingly, Farounbi was no fan of Ajetomobi, infamous in the past for late coming and his temper which suddenly can become volatile. Thus in refusing to participate in the plot to outrank Ajetomobi, Farounbi only acted in good faith and on principle. He later played a major role in debunking the accusation of Niyi Akinmola against Ajetomobi before the Electoral Committee that Ajetomobi contrary to the bye-laws did not pay his branch dues for 2006-2007 year and thus saved Ajetomobi's candidacy.

By January 2008, the stage for open manifestation of their rebellions intentions against their political family was getting very set by Niyi Idowu, Beckley Abioye and Niyi Akinmola. Both Abioye and Akinmola had declared their interest in the chairmanship and could not be persuaded by the caucus to step down for Ajetomobi the most senior in the cadre.

After a long wait to resolve the matter one way or the other, in the face of the intransigence of the Abioye and Akinmola, the caucus finally in February 2008 settled for Ajetomobi as her flag-bearer. Neither of Abioye or Akinmola made themselves available for the caucus election. Idowu also refused to participate falsely claiming that as the chairman of the branch, he wanted to be neutral.

The overwhelming preference of the majority of the caucus for Dave Ajetomobi, did nothing to impress Abioye and Akinmola to drop their ambition. Abioye in particular pointedly told the leader of the caucus, Dare Akande, who delivered the verdict of the caucus to him that for all he cared, the caucus could go and jump with her decision.

Both men, Akinmola and Abioye used different methods in trying to actualise their dreams. While Akinmola went solo, relying essentially on the strength of his assumed popularity and personal intense campaigns, Idowu and Abioye decided to wage the coming battle with a structure behind them.

Both methods failed ultimately in the face of the opposition of the political machine of their erstwhile political family who turned the heat full blast on them.
The first to fall was Niyi Akinmola courtesy of a powerful one-punch-do-it-all petition from Dave Ajetomobi who complained that Akinmola's nomination seconder, Biyi Oguntuga Esq lacked the competence to do so for lack of inadequate attendance of branch meetings. The complaint was sustained and Akinmola joined Dele Oloke in the league of disqualified chairmanship candidates in the elections.

Getting Beckley Abioye and his mentor, Idowu to drink the gall of political defeat took the caucus a longer time. The duo had planned to use their advantage of incumbency to form an Electoral that would be sympathetic to their cause and the cause of their motley crowd of hastily arranged team of contestants to wit S.O Omodara, Abiola Oketoki, Maimuna Esegine, Biyi Oguntuga and A Ahmed, and allow them to contest the election irrespective of any qualification deficiencies they had. Again the caucus proved its mettle against Idowu and Abioye, by bullying their interests (that due process and legality be observed in the conduct of the elections) into the two Electoral Committees set up by the branch, this, despite the fact that Niyi Idowu, the self glorifying master political strategist presided over the meetings which produced the Electoral Committees.

The beginning of the end of the Abioye -for-chairman project became more manifest when the caucus' influence first prevented the allowance of every Tom Dick and Harry in the race to contest, and secondly when the influence ensured that in conformity with the bye-laws of the branch, most of the unqualified candidates were dropped from the race by the Electoral Committee. In the event, every body in the Idowu Abioye team of contestants except Abioye himself and Titi Osagie was disqualified from the race, while all the main candidates fielded by that obviously better prepared caucus scaled through .

Inspite of all these set-banks, the Idowu-Abioye group, with her now limping rag-tag army of adventures still believed that, if only they could soldier on, they would still defeat the Dare Akande led caucus. So the struggle continued, but it was clear to any wide-eyed observer that the Abioye-for-chairman 2008 would eventually collapse like a house built with spittle.

Commenting on the situation, this is how commentator described it
“It is like when you have a mighty bull surrounded by a pride of lions. Despite his might the lions would certainly overcome him. It is only Idowu standing with and for Beckley Abioye, how could he hope to win? Yes he is the chairman but he cannot single-handedly defeat his comrades, who know him in and out and who themselves are no push-overs.”

Led by the veteran campaigner Dare Akande Esq, the caucus simply turned the screws tighter by the day against the jugular of their opponents. The caucus called out all her generals, even from far flung places to come back home to Tiger land and join hands to teach “traitors and ingrates” a bitter but vital lessons that a part no matter how big is not greater than the whole.

The caucus knew it was fighting the bitterest war of her life ever because this was one war between brothers and threw everything they had into it. There job was made easier however by the avoidable mistakes made by the rebels Idowu and Abioye to wit:-
(a) fielding too many numbers of candidates
(b) antagonising and contributing to the frustration of the NBA presidential campaign of a prominent Tiger, Dele Adesina S.A.N
(c) getting enmeshed in the scandal of the falsification of branch records
(d) scorning media publication opportunity via the SQUIB publication
Perhaps one of the greatest assist the caucus received from their opponents came from Beckley
Abioye himself. The former general secretary was simply a hard sell. Younger than his opponent in real life and at the bar, Abioye, simply did not cut a 'presidential' look and could not put his good looks to a charismatic advantage. Rather for most part of the campaign he looked harassed and under stress in real life and almost pathetic or at best somber in pictures.

Of course, once the story was out that he betrayed the nomination norms of his caucus who brought him to power, Abioye and his political leader laboured constantly under the strains of being labeled “greedy, over-ambitions politicians.”

On July 1 2008, the caucus showed its might in no uncertain manner. Even before the commencement of the voting. It was clear that Ajetomobi and Buhari were the preferred team of majority of the Tigers’present. By the time voting was stopped more and more supporters of the Ajetomobi Buhari kept coming but the door was barred against them.
When the sorting and counting of the votes began in the voting hall there was not much tension in the groups loyal to the Caucus. The air was thick with the fragrance of their imminent victory. On the other hand the clearly embattled Niyi Idowu and one or two supporters of his sat glumly at the back of the hale awaiting the announcement of the death of his pet-project.

Suddenly leaders of the caucus leapt up and started congratulating themselves. Two of them in particular, Adekunle Ojo and Adesina Ogunlana started executing curious dance-steps, to the amusement and admiration of their supporters. When Ogunlana was asked why he was acting so excited he gleefully declared that he was undergoing ‘political ejaculation’. The Caucus had won again and her chieftains were only dancing on the political coffins of those who had so arrogantly underrated them.After the official announcement of the results, the Caucus led no less than a hundred supporters to a 'watering hole' at the P.O.W.A market near the Ikeja High Court to celebrate their all important victory. Many were the tears of Bacchus in that gathering!

WHO BECOMES THE NEXT CHAIRMAN OF THE IKEJA BAR?

SQUIB COVER STORY

For some weeks now, these two names, Dave Ajetomobi and Beckley Abioye have become very familiar to many members of the Ikeja branch of the Nigerian Bar Association. This, is only natural. The two names belong to contestants in the race for the prime leadership position of the branch.

Until Tuesday the 24th June 2008, the two men were not only the ones jostling to become the top gun in the Tiger bar. There were two others – Niyi Akinmola Esq. and Dele Oloke Esq. As things turned out however, both Akinmola and Oloke, came to political grief, when the re-constituted Electoral Committee of the Tiger bar, led by Mr. Layi Babatunde S.A.N, decided against their participation in the contest.

Oloke’s ‘sin’ was that he paid his branch dues out of time, while the albatross that dragged Akinmola’s flight into the miry depths, was the incompetence of Biyi Oguntuga Esq. the seconder of his nomination to so do. Oguntuga a contestant himself in the 1st Vice Chairmanship slot was disqualified for inadequate attendance of the branch’s meetings.

The exit of Oloke and Akinmola from the race has narrowed the field, but it is doubtful whether it made the contest any Lless keener. From perceptions opened to the Squib, even before the pruning down of the candidates (incidentally conforming to the norm of the branch to have only two contestants for the post of chairman) it appeared that the leading candidate was Dave Ajetomobi. Unlike his rivals who all had bands of passionate supporters, Ajetomobi appeared to have a loose and wide support base, loyal to his cause, not because of him alone, but by their connections to certain key members of his campaign team. From all indications, at least up to press time, the equation does not appear to have changed; meaning that barring any miracle or disaster, Ajetomobi will clinch the chairmanship.

One major drawback for Beckley Abioye’s candidacy is that he is the only chairmanship candidate with a moral burden issue on his laps, this, courtesy of his central role in the crisis generated over the issue of falsification of attendance of meetings records in favour of some candidates. It was the problem that led to the collapse of the first electoral committee and ultimately caused the postponement of the election from June 2 to June 30 2008.

In the renewed heat of the scandal and to survive before the reconstituted Electoral Committee, Abioye was forced to distance himself from his political comrades like Biyi Oguntuga Abiola Oketoki etc who had benefited from the monkeying with the attendance records, by claiming ignorance of how their names constantly got into the attendance registers after he had officially closed them. To the contrary, before the first Electoral Committee led by Taiwo Adeoluwa Esq., Abioye’s position then was to defend his crooked report, where he unfairly upgraded selected candidates and pooh-phoning the counter-proofs, in the form of the published lists of attendance issued by his office (General Secretary) saying “I don’t know where they (opponents) got all these from.”

Quite a number of the branch members felt disgusted about Abioye’s involvement in the mess and some have expressed surprise not only at his continued participation in the race; the-man-ought-to have resigned – if he has any shame they say, but also at his clearance by the Layi Babatunde S.A.N Electoral Committee.

Opined a commentator on the matter
“There is no real reason for the Layi Babatunde Committee to spare Abioye. He is clearly involved in the falsification of the attendance records. I guess they just allowed him so that it can be said that there is a semblance of contest in the chairmanship position.”

Another factor working actively against Abioye’s success is the thinness of the ground of his political sponsorship. He has only one main backer, Niyi Idowu Esq. the out-going chairman whose current popularity is debatable considering the fact that his tenure has wounded down in a vortex of controversy. As the leader of the branch, Idowu fumbled in the handling of the NBA presidential aspiration of Dele Adesina S.A.N a prominent and distinguished member and ex-chairman of the branch and almost got his fingers burnt in the process. To stretch his support base even thinner, Abioye’s group lost a good number of her members contesting for sundry posts in the executive committee to wit, Biyi Oguntuga (V.P) S.O Omodara, (P.R.O) Biola Oketoki (social secretary) and Maimuna Esegine (2nd Vice – chairman and A. Ahmed (welfare) to the disqualification axe of the electoral committee. On the contrast, the Dave Ajetomobi group lost none of her key members, with the implication now that, even if Abioye wins the election, he and possibly his preferred secretary Titi Osagie (if that worthy also wins) will be a tiny minority in the very cabinet he heads, a failure inducing arrangement indeed.

In addition the disqualification of most of the contesting members of his team, has left Abioye’s political machine seriously weakened, as almost all those disqualified in his camp have vanished from the political arena leaving only Abioye and Titi Osagie, with the occasional physical support of Niyi Idowu to soldier on.

On the other hand, the Ajetomobi camp continued to wax stronger by the day. Unlike her opponents, who had been overtaken by the inertia induced by the postponement of the June 2 2008 election, the Ajetomobi group remained vigorous, keeping the electorate aware of the developments in the race by constant, physical and media campaigns.

Field interactions and investigations of the Squib show that, Abioye’s chances would have been considerably helped assuming he could gain the supporters of Dele Oloke and Niyi Akinmola. However, there is little hope of such “acquisition” holding as the supporters in question are not to keen in pitching their tent with Abioye. While some of then even prefer to vote for Dave Ajetomobi as the lesser of the two evils, others are determined not to cast their votes at all as a protest sign against the disqualification of their candidates.

In spite of all the odds stacked against him however, Beckley Abioye may defy logic and win the elections. Upsets are not unknown in politics, which like the game of soccer does not operate along the exact and sure lines of mathematics. On the surface, more people appear to look Ajetomobi’s way but the face oft times is not a sure-fire indicator of a person’s mind set. In fact faces are famous for being deployed as masks of the feelings of the wearers.

There have been complaints in some quarters about candidate Dave Ajetomobi, about his perceived quietness, even shyness and lack of spontaneous warmth with non-acquaintances, raising doubts about his accessibility and assertiveness. Observers are quick however to consider such criticisms as not strong enough to cost Ajetomobi the chair of the Ikeja bar, for being misconceived in the light of the fact, that Ajetomobi is well known in the Ikeja bar as a good master of ceremony. “If the man is such an introvert as his critics say, how come he does well as a master of ceremony” queried an Ajetomobi supporter who went to opine further that:
“Those who say Ajetomobi is not a good mixer are having wrong impressions about his style as a person and a politician. I think it is even a good thing for a person to be quiet and gentle. Gentility does not mean shyness or weakness or cowardice. The man is just humble and respectful.”

The only other post in contention, that of the General Secretary, is again between only two candidates, Isa Mohammed Buhari Esq. and Titi Osagie (Mrs) While Buhari a Muslim and a Northerner, called to the bar in 1990 is in Ajetomobi’s camp, Osagie, a Christian, South Westerner, matrimonially connected to Edo State and called to the bar in 2000 is in Abioye’s camp. Both of them bring different political gains to their principals. Buhari’s post 18 years call at the bar, give him a solid seniority edge over Osagie’s post 8 year call. In addition to the fact that he is a not a Yoruba, (though he can ‘blow’ the Oduduwa tongue more than some Ile- Ife parrots) signals that his sponsors, is indeed progressive, caring for merit above any other considerations including ethnicity.

The same argument of progressiveness however can be made for the presentation of Osagie for the post of secretary, considering her gender, which is female. No woman has ever served as the secretary of the Ikeja bar before now. The most singular draw back however to Osagie’s candidacy, apart from being a member of the Niyi Idowu -Beckley Abioye team is her sheer ‘juniority’ which many voters seem to find difficult to swallow considering the importance of the post of General Secretary she is contesting, more so as the candidate has had only about two years of fair participation (non-executive) in Ikeja bar affairs starting under the Niyi –Idowu regime and is not known to many members.

The election billed to hold on 30th June 2008 at the Onyx Plaza, I Sola Arobiodu road, G.R.A Ikeja starts by 12:00p.m with accreditation of voters. The voting is scheduled to start by 1:00p.m and to end by 3:00p.m. By 5:00p.m, the dust of the electoral contest, observers believe, would have settled and the winners known. For now the question remains: “who becomes the next chair of the Ikeja bar – Dave Ajetomobi or Beckley Abioye?

Well, go and cast your votes. May the candidates who will better serve the interests of the Ikeja bar as chairman and secretary win!

NBA IKEJA ELECTIONS: FEAR GRIPS CANDIDATES

SQUIB COVER STORY

On 2nd June 2008, the NBA Ikeja branch, a.k.a Tigers branch, at its Annual General meeting, reconstituted her Electoral Committee, to organise elections into the Executive Council of the branch.

It would be recalled that the reconstitution became necessary upon the collapse of the original electoral committee headed by Taiwo Adeoluwa Esq.

Unlike its limpid predecessor, the new Electoral Committee headed by Mr. Layi Babatunde, S.A.N, with Miss Nike Onasanya as secretary and Femi Falana Esq. as member, is demonstrating her determination to get the task entrusted to her done satisfactorily.

On Thursday the 19th June 2008, after days of careful and deep perusal of screening records of the branch pertaining to candidates in the deform of attendance lists (in care of Mr. Beckley the General Secretary of the branch) and dues’ payment records (in charge of Mr. Yinka Faroubi Esq. the financial Secretary) the committee met with the contestants at about 4:00p.m.

The main purpose of the meeting was to conduct a public hearing of the petitions pending before the committee. At the end of the three hour long exercise, it became apparent that certainly not all the contestants would be allowed to participate in the election.

For example in the chairmanship level, the committee upon an examination of the records of attendance before them, declared that Dele Oloke did not meet up the required number of meetings per year which is 7. Oloke’s response was to launch into his traditional tirade against “the cabal which has been rigging in the branch”, advocating in the process that the bye-laws should be jettisoned for the purpose of the elections. The petition against Dave Ajetomobi Esq. written by Niyi Akinmola Esq., to the effect that Ajetomobi did not pay his 2006-2007 practising fees and only has a back –dated receipt to cover up for him was also considered.
When Ajetomobi denied the allegation against him, the committee called upon Yinka Faroubi, the financial secretary to clarity the position. Faroubi, much to the angst of the petitioner declared that Ajetomobi made valid payment and was validity issued a receipt.

Yet Akinmola would not give up. He demanded to see the stub of Ajetomobi’s receipt, but that examination could not be carried out since the Electoral Committee did not come with receipt booklets submitted to them by the financial secretary. The two rivals were asked to come back the next day to face the committee on the issue. On the return date Ajetomobi showed up before the committee but Akinmola did not.

The petition of Ajetomobi against Akinmola was also considered. Ajetomobi had accused Akinmola of having an unqualified member in the person of Biyi Oguntuga Esq as the seconder of his nomination.
According to Ajetomobi, Oguntuga only attended meetings of the branch between 2006 -2007 only two times. The examination of the attendance records in respect of Biyi Oguntuga drew attention to Beckley Abioye Esq another chairmanship aspirant but who is also the secretary for 2006 – 2008 years.

The committee found that while Abioye’s report on attendance credited Oguntuga with 9 sittings, the attendance register had him for 8, while the list of attendees of branch meetings published also by Abioye had him for only 2 times. Oguntuga’s in reaction to these discrepancies was to say that he was always coming late to meetings, reasons why his name was always at the bottom of the register, after it had been deemed close. When queried whether he ever complained at any of the meetings that his name was not adequately reflected on the published list of attendance Oguntuga said “no” because “ I never thought it necessary”.

Abioye’s defence was that he didn’t know how Oguntuga’s name got on the registers of the meetings. It was the same argument he put up later when he was queried over Abiola Oketoki, a social secretary aspirant whose name did not appear for once in the published attendance records for 2006 – 2007 year but whom the Abioye report astonishingly credited with 8 sittings. Interestingly, Oketoki defence or explanation to the curious situation was that she was always coming late to meeting; hence her name was also, always down the register after closure.

In the 1st Vice-President post, Oguntuga’s petition against Dare Akande Esq was treated. The allegation against the national leader of the Progressive Bar Forum was that he did not actually pay his branch dues for year 2006 – 2007 and that he was given a backdated receipt to cover him up.

This allegation was denied by Akande and his position was supported by Yinka Faroubi the financial secretary, who declared that Akande duly paid his branch dues.

In the 2nd Vice Chairman category, one of the three contestants, Mamuna Esegine, did not show up, so the petition of one of her rivals, Terry Badmus Adeniyi was not heard. The hearing was adjourned till the 20th June 2008, the next day. However, Esegine did not turn up also at the second date. The other contestant, Dafosta Osinowo did not argue with the committee’s finding that he did not have sufficient sittings, for year 2006- 2007 saying he was prepared to abide with their decision.

At the Secretary – Generalship levels, the hearing of the petition against Titi Osagie (Mrs) by her sole rival Isa Buhari that she did not pay adequate branch due brought out some heat from Osagie. Her claim that she duly paid her branch dues was backed by an affidavit sworn to in proof. But when the committee enquired from the financial secretary about the affidavit angle, Faroubi declared that Osagie did not pay to him and did not enquire from his office about the duplicate or stub of her missing receipt, before procuring an affidavit which according to him cannot stand for a certification of the document in question. Immediately the committee finished with her, Osagie walked out in annoyance.

When it came to the turn of the petition against S.O Omodara, whose opponent, Lateef Abdusalam accused of not having his branch dues, Omodara produced a receipt to the contrary.

However the receipt which bore a December 2006 date interesting came from a batch of March 2007 booklet. The financial secretary, Yinka Faroubi, denied issuing the receipt despite the fact that Farounbi’s signature was on the receipt. Farounbi explained that he left already signed booklet of receipt with the bar clerk so that payments can be made even in his absence as he was then engaged in his LLM programe, according to Farounbi such booklet were forcefully taken away from the bar clerk by the chairman and secretary of the branch without his knowledge or his authority. It was those documents that he alleged were tampered with including the one which included Omodara’s name.
The treatment of the petition against Miss Abiola Oketoki, social secretary contestant was also interesting. While Oketoki’s opponent, Emmanuel Otobo who came to the meeting armed with bundles of several papers and documents as if he was counsel to a party before the famous Oputa Panel, claimed that Oketoki did not pay her branch dues, Oketoki denied this but had no receipt to show for it. When she claimed that she made payment to the Bar Clerk, Miss Queen Ebohon, the committee summoned the clerk, who promptly denied Oketoki’s claim.

The petition against A. Ahmed contestant for the welfare secretary post was not treated for the absence of the petitioner, Chinwe Joy.
At the end of it all, the Electoral Committee hold the contestants that on Monday 23rd June 2008, she will put up their report on the qualification of candidates and by Wednesday the 25th June, the list of voters would be out. According to the committee they would give a few days to hear the complaints of any aggrieved voter with proof that his name is excluded from the voters list and make necessary adjustment.

From all indications then, the most likely time the long awaited Tiger Bar election will hold is Monday 30th June 2008.
Although nobody is sure which candidates will eventually be cleared for the election by the Electoral Committee, contestants who are either members or allies of the Niyi Idowu – Beckley Abioye group to wit:- Beckley Abioye, Biyi Oguntuga, Titi Osagie, Abiola Oketoki, S.O Omodara, Mamuna Esegine, appear to be feeling the heat more, probably because the bulk of ‘heavy’ petitions were directed against them or are otherwise affected in the on going scrutiny of qualifying records.

Just about press time, (Saturday 21-06-2008) credible, gecko-borne news reached the Squib that the Electoral Committee was at work in the office of her chairman, Layi Babatunde S.A.N. The committee met to give further opportunity to entertain Niyi Akinmola’s petition against Dave Ajetomobi. Both men were summoned likewise the financial secretary who however did not turn up.

Geckos were surprised, to hear Niyi Akinmola who maintained that he would not press his claim unless Faroubi was present, accuse two members of the Electoral Committee – the chairman himself, Layi Babatunde S.A.N and Femi Falana Esq. of acting out “the script of Dave Ajetomobi to get me (Akinmola) disqualified.”

According to our information, Niyi Akinmola was agitated, confrontational and rude but the Electoral Committee members with some effort kept their cool and adjourned the hearing of his petition to Sunday the 22nd June 2008 when Farounbi was expected to be available.
When contacted on the phone four times between 8.00pm and 8.20pm by the Squib on this development, Niyi Akinmola was not prepared to talk, aside asking this reporter whether he was a candidate or petitioner in the elections.

Surely, the drama of the 2008 NBA Ikeja branch elections has not ended.

LASTMA STAFF KILLS LAGOS COURT WORKER

SQUIB COVER STORY

Lateef Osho Jogunomi was a well known face in the sheriffs section of the Ikeja High Court. He was an auxiliary staff, one of the many signed on by the Lagos State Judiciary to act as assistants to sheriffs on execution duties.
On Friday the 6th June 2008, Jogunomi, said to be in his late forties and a father of five, left his house very early in the morning to carry out an eviction exercise with some of his colleagues in a suburb of Lagos but he was never to return to his house or the loving company of his family, for whom he was head and the main bread-winner. By 8:30a.m on this fateful Friday morning, the enforcers of court orders had successfully carried out their task and they dispersed to find their way back to their base – the Ikeja High Court. Jogunomi and only of member of his team, Aliyu Ajiwokeu kept company in the bid to get back to Ikeja. But neither of them reached that destination as an unexpected and unwanted tragedy visited them on the way and truncated their journey, ultimately taking Jogunomi on a journey of no return.
According to Aliyu Ajiwokeu, Jogunomi’s companion who witnessed how his colleague suddenly became a patient in a hospital’s emergency ward and later an occupier of a space in the morgue, put the blame for the unfortunate demise of Jogunomi squarely on the door steps of the Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA).
Said Ajiwokeu “We were coming from where we went for execution. When we got to Ketu we took a bus that would take us to Oshodi. We were approaching Oshodi Oke, when two LASTMA staff stopped our bus. The bus was passing in front of their Oshodi office that very time. When the driver stopped, the two LASTMA staff ordered all passengers to come down.
All of us were shocked, moreso as it was raining that time. We however came down and I was the one who led the other passengers to meet the two LASTMA staff to enquire from them why they had to order us down from the bus.
One of the LASTMA men was almost fully kitted out in his official uniform while the other was in mufti, Ankara dress specifically.
The two men were rude and hostile to us saying that they needed the bus for their operation. When we now said what about the fare we had paid to the driver, they shouted that that’s our problem and hat we should go away.
At that point one of the passengers when I later knew to be Taofeek told the LASTMA men that they were acting unfairly and oppressively and were abusing the privilege that they were uniformed men. For saying that Taofeek’s umbrella was taken from him and broken.
Suddenly the LASTMA man in mufti just pushed those of us standing together and we staggered back. Then he went to Jogunomi who never uttered a word and who was standing by himself and shoved him violently backwards.
Taking by surprise Jogunomi fell backward immediately, hitting his head on the road, right at the entrance of LASTMA office.
As he fell, his phone flew away from his hand and I rushed to pick it up, thinking, he Jogunomi would pick himself up, but he just lay there.
I saw the two LASTMA men ran into their office, after Taofeek unsuccessfully tried holding down the man who pushed Jogunomi to the ground. Taofeek joined me to chase them while the women amongst us started wailing that LASTMA has killed a person.
Once inside their vast compound, the two men disappeared but in the commotion, I heard some other LASTMA staffing referring to the escapes as Yomi and Yusuf. One DSP Sunday, a senior police officer who was there advised that it was better that we should abandon chasing for the two LASTMA men and look after my colleague and we did just that.
We lifted him from the ground and took him to their clinic in the compound and from there we took him to Gbagada General Hospital. He was in very bad shape, he couldn’t talk, blood was coming from his nose, yet he was struggling to stand up from the hospital bed and we had to hold him down. I contacted our office by phone and our superiors, particularly Magistrate Oguntade, the Director of the Department swung into action. That madam really tried. We heard she called the Chief Judge, and also the Governor and she came to join us at the hospital. At about 8:00p.m that evening I had to leave for my house. By the next morning, I heard that Jogunomi gave up about 1:00a.m in the morning.
We have reported the mater to the police at Mosafejo Police Station but I don’t know how far they have gone with their investigation, or whether the LASTMA men have been apprehend”
The Squib gathered it was only on Tuesday the 10th June that the remains of the late Jogunomi was interred, after an autopsy was conducted on his body. We also gathered that a sum of twenty five thousand naira was released by the Lagos State Judiciary authorities to Jogunomi’s family to aid in his burial ceremony.
The Squib’s efforts at meeting Magistrate Oguntade, the Director of the Sheriffs section twice on Jogunomi death in the past week was abortive. Although we met with Mr. Ogundare, the acting Chief Registrar of the Lagos State Judiciary, no enlightenment on the latest developments in the case emerged in that direction as the high level official maintained the age-long policy of wary official interaction and taciturnity with the Squib. According to the acting Chief Registrar, “There is no formal report from the Department concerned on the matter yet and so I would not want to say anything more than acknowledging the fact that someone died. To go beyond that is to be indulging in speculations.”
Observers believe that the death of auxiliary Sheriff Lateef Osho Jogunomi is one death that the Lagos State Judiciary, his employer should not allow to be swept under the carpet, for two important reasons: one to show that the Lagos Judiciary values and cares for all her staff, irrespective of their levels and status and two - to act as deterrence to other members of Lagos State Law enforcement agencies like LASTMA, Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) corpsmen etc who indulge in brutalising and humiliating members of the public in the name of carrying out their duties.
Meanwhile the Squib advises the family of late Jogunomi to take up civil claims against LASTMA in the court of law for the unlawful, wicked and reckless determination of their bread-winner’s life. The NBA Ikeja branch can be approached in this regard.

THE GREAT ASSIGNMENT

SQUIB COVER STORY

2nd June 2008 started as an ordinary day for Nike Onasanya, a young lady lawyer and member of the famous Ikeja branch of the Nigerian Bar Association. The day however ended for her on an extra-ordinary note.

The young lawyer, like about eight hundred other members of the Tiger Bar came to the branch secretariat for the Annual General Meeting of the branch last Monday with the main aim of participating in the elections that would provide new executives for the branch but ended up becoming the secretary of the newly constituted Electoral Committee of the branch saddled with the responsibility of conducting the now postponed elections.

As secretary, Onasanya is walking and working with ‘giants’. The chairman of the reconstituted Electoral Committee is Mr. Layi Babatunde S.A.N, the publisher of the well known Supreme Court Reports, while the only other member is none other than Barrister Femi “Authority Falana, the famous human rights campaigner.

Very early in the day (June 2 2008) the portents indicated that the scheduled elections might not take place after-all. Quite unlike all previous Annual General Meetings, of June 2 2008 did not start in time. In fact the meeting was called to order around 2:40p.m, a hundred minutes after schedule.
The delay was inevitable. Niyi Idowu Esq. as well as Mr. Rex Onobrakpeya and Mr. Gbenga Akingbehin the surviving members of the Original Electoral Committee were at different times locked up with elders of the branch, on the best way to get out of the log-jam created by the disintegration of the Taiwo Adeoluwa Electoral Committee and which was not in any shape to conduct elections.

The Adeoluwa Electoral Committee in practical terms came to grief on 26th May 2008, when the Chairman of the Committee, unprecedentedly resigned from the Committee. As it turned out, the other two members (Onobrakpeya and Akingbehin) maintained sharply opposing views on what to do about the contestants. While Onobrakpeya cleared all the candidates on the ground that the records to be used for the screening was manifestly unreliable, Akingbehin relied on the same records to prescribe for the disqualification of close to 75% percent of the contestants.

The dilemma, the Ikeja branch of the NBA faced on June 2 2008 was what to do in the face of the contradictory positions of the self decapitated Taiwo Adeoluwa Electoral Committee.
The singular question was whether in the circumstances, it was proper hold her elections on June 2 2008. Ordinarily the resolution of this question would not have proved so knotty, if the leadership of the bar, specifically Niyi Idowu Esq, the out-going (out-gone?) chairman was disposed to having the elections rescheduled.

The gentle-man however was of a contrary disposition. In fact he was firmly committed to the position that willy-nilly the elections must hold on the June 2 2008.
Credible information reaching the Squib had it that despite meeting with the elders first on Friday the 30th May 2008 and on June 2 2008 before the A.G.M started, Idowu was still bent on seeing that elections took place on that day, even though he could not openly disagree with the elders, the clear majority of whom wanted the elections postponed for two weeks to allow for proper screening of the candidates to be conducted by a new electoral committee.
In the two weeks of the postponed elections, the Council of Elders, a body recognised under the constitution would take over from the Idowu administration.
Idowu was opposed to this proposition for two reasons:
The first one was personal – if his administration was succeeded by a care-taker committee, called by whatever appellation, it is a clear indication that his administration ended up in crisis, a situation if perceived to be a stain on his political record.
The second reason was political – if elections were postponed and a new electoral committee setup, with the mandate as the elders wanted it, to follow the bye-laws in the conduct of the elections, most, if not all of the candidates sponsored by Idowu stand very good chances of being disqualified as their opponents had raised strong petitions against them before the now defunct Adeoluwa Committee.
The conduct of the A.G.M by Idowu had no problems except a few hiccups in the one instance, where he and the General Secretary, Beckley Abioye in their reports were shockingly parsimonious with praises and acknowledgement due to the Lagos State Government which had given to the branch a brand new 32 sealer coaster bus.
This rather curious posture generated a negative reception from many members, because even the very devil it is said deserve his dues; not to talk of a benefactor of the branch like the Lagos State Government.

All the same at the end of his seven page speech, the traditional standing ovation was given to the chairman while the elders and leading lights of the branch moved to the high-table to congratulate Idowu for a “successful two year tenure” in office as chairman.
The next stage in the proceedings ordinarily was for the out-going executives to vacate the high- table for the Electoral Committee, which would set to the task of conducting elections immediately.
Unfortunately, there was no electoral committee to be called upon, for reasons earlier on stated in this report. Consequently, the chairman and the secretary retained their sets on the high-table.
The chairman proceeded to address the house and immediately showed that he had an agenda different from his agreement with the elders, to wit, to get the house to dissolve the decapitated Adeoluwa Committee, set up a new electoral committee, set up a care-taker committee and fix a date for the elections (not later than two or three weeks).

In his speech, the chairman gave a sharply edited version of the condition of the Taiwo Adeoluwa committee. According to Idowu, all what the Adeoluwa committee had done was to forward to him two proposals as regard the elections for two weeks or to conduct the election on June 2 2008 with all the contestants being allowed to vie, courtesy of a jettisoning of the branch’s bye-laws.

Idowu, clearly for reasons best known to him, refused to inform the house that the committee chairman, Taiwo Adeoluwa had resigned his appointment and that the other two members were not in agreement on how to go about the conduct of the elections.

Even before he finished his speech, the elders realised that Idowu had departed from their agreement and swiftly though their leader, Chief V.A Odunaiya, tried to get the meeting onto the course of their preference - postponed elections and conformity with the branch’s bye-laws in conduct of the elections.

Chief Odunaiya however had only the floor for a few minutes before hecklers started to interject him. Chief Odunaiya’s interjectors’ main cry was that they wanted the elections “now!” About two hours before then, the Niyi Idowu – Beckley Abioye group had circulated many copies of the report of the 2002 Electoral Committee of the NBA Ikeja, headed by Chief V.A Odunaiya to member present. The purpose was to show that six years ago, the Ikeja bar actually suspended her bye-laws in the screening of all candidates for that year’s election and allowed all contestants to vie.

Unfortunately for the vendors of the Odunaiya Electoral Committee Report, many people saw it as inappropriate comparison with the 2008 situation and a cheap blackmail of Chief V.A Odunaiya.
In the confused atmosphere that the lingering hot debates whether the election should hold that day or not, it was clear that to all discerning minds that for reasons of the obvious division of the Adeoluwa Electoral Committee, absence of Election materials and the passage of time, (it was already 4:30p.m in the evening) that the elections could not hold, yet the Niyi Idowu – Beckley Abioye group supported by their junior political partners, the slight camp of Niyi Akinmola continued to shout that the elections must hold.

But at the end of the day all the cacophonous exertions of the “Elections Today, Today” hawks came to naught. Their resolve to continue with their agitations broke when Dele Adesina S.A.N, took the floor. The silk wove logic round oration to convince the agitators that the only reasonable path to take in the circumstances was to disband the Adeoluwa Committee, set up a new one and postpone the elections. Adesina made an unimpeachable distinction between the Electoral situation of the bar in 2002 and the present situation; to the effect that while the 2008 Electoral Committee was in shambles and presented two conflicting reports, the 2002 Electoral Committee of Chief V.A Odunaiya was not only united and presented a single report, it actually screened candidates and only requested for the permission of the full house that the result of the screening exercise be not followed, to allow elections into all the offices. There was also no allegation of doctoring of qualification records in 2002, unlike 2008.
When the house accepted the Dele Adesina reasoning, the next task dissolving - the Adeoluwa Committee was quickly done. But setting up a new Electoral Committee proved not that easy. The problem was that Idowu wanted to control the nomination of the members of the Electoral Committee.
This move was stoutly resisted by Idowu’s opponents. At the end of the day, eight nominators were recognised; who each called out their nominees out of which only three were chosen by the house.

The first nominee was Mr. Layi Babatunde S.A.N and his nominator was Adesina Ogunlana. It was an impeccable nomination. Everybody automatically knew that Babatunde S.A.N with his huge reputation for legality and thoroughness will not make the Committee but become the chairman on account of his seniority.

Later when Femi Falana was also nominated by another person, it was also clear that Falana would make the committee. And so it was. The third member of the new committee was Nike Onasanya, the only lady among the eight nominees, and who was more or less unilaterally made the secretary of the committee by Dele Adesina S.A.N who told the house to accept her as member and secretary. And so it was.

Not long after the constitution of the Layi Babatunde (SAN) Electoral Committee, the meeting came to an end, but the Niyi Idowu Executive Committee was not dissolved. The AGM was adjourned for two weeks and for the elections to hold then.

From all indications, the Layi Babatunde (SAN) Electoral Committee is poised to use the Bye-Laws in the conduct of the elections and it has started working already.
In a statement dated 4th June 2008, the committee expressed its desire to do a thorough job and solicited the support of all members of the branch, including the candidates, in the discharge of their duties. Please see cover story exhibit.

Given the bitter wrangling and deep suspicions that have attended the issue of elections in the Tiger Bar, the past six weeks, the Layi Babatunde (SAN) Electoral Committee will need all the good luck and goodwill it can muster to succeed in their task more so as some candidates, fearing disqualification have been heard muttering in some quarters that:
“We will not allow the elections to take place
if any candidate is disqualified from the elections
by the Electoral Committee.”