A Bar leader, Chief Solomon Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), has warned the Registered Trustees of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) of the consequences of the association’s failure to obey the Federal High Court judgment which nullified the 2014 and 2015 NBA constitutions.In a letter to the Trustees, Awomolo called for an “urgent meeting” to “save the Bar from disintegration and put to rest fractionalisation encouraged by the immediate leadership of the association.”The judgment delivered by Justice John Tsoho of Federal High Court, Abuja, on March 30, in a suit filed by Lagos lawyer, Mr. Supo Ojo, granted all the reliefs sought by the Plaintiff.It voided the 2015 amended Constitution of the NBA for non-compliance with mandatory provisions of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) and also voided all actions howsoever described taken under the said constitution, amongst other reliefs.Awomolo said: “ I write respectfully to invite your attention to the judgement of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, delivered on Friday, March 30, 2017.
“The implication of this judgement is so grave that it will appear as if we have been drawn back to 1992 when the Bar Association went into crisis that nearly terminated its existence.“I recall that Chief F.R.A. Williams SAN (of Blessed Memory), Alhaji Abudullahi Ibrahim SAN CON, Chief Tony Mogboh SAN, Chief Wole Olanipekun SAN and Alhaji Muritala Aminu OFR rose to support me and the Committee of Chairmen and Secretaries of the 44 branches of the NBA to bring it back us a body corporate. Chief T.J.O. Okpoko SAN was elected as President at the 1998 August Conference held here in Abuja.“It is very sad to note that the Trustees inadvertently, have left the Association in the hands of successive elected leaders, some of whom by omission or commission lost sense of history and abdicated their responsibilities.“It is unthinkable that an elementary thing like the registration of the amended constitution of the association can be left unregistered where Senior Advocates of Nigeria had led the elected Bar officials.“It is my humble view that your leadership of the association as Registered Trustees is now called upon to put right the Bar Association, failing which one can foresee the emergence of Regional Bar Associations and Law Societies.“The arguments put into public domain by elected officers of the Bar Association is very unfortunate. No legal argument or unauthorised appeal can save the failure, negligence and responsibilities of the management of the Bar. This is not the time for sophistry of the law and legal technicality to elongate the tenure of the present officials.“Their desire to secure or save their tenure at the detriment of the association is sad, selfish and should be condemned by all of us.
“I wish to request that a meeting of the Board of Trustees be held very urgently to save the Bar from disintegration and put to rest fractionalisation encouraged by the immediate leadership of the association.“We think our labour to save the association should not be allowed to waste on the altar of negligence and irresponsible leadership,” Awomolo stated.The letter was addressed to Alhaji Abdulahi Ibrahim (SAN), Chief Anthony Mogboh (SAN), Chief T.J.O. Okpoko (SAN), Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), Chief Mrs Prsicilia (Kuye), Alhaji Muritala Aminu, Registered Trustees of the NBA.Source: The Nation
