I have read a post by the usual and paid mouth piece of Dr. Babatunde Ajibade SAN, Mr. Sylvester Udemezue, titled “NBA 2020 Elections: 13 Reasons Why Adoption by Tribal Groups Is Unsafe for the Health and Progress of the Nigerian Bar Association.” All the so called 13reasons can be compressed to just only one which decided to couch as ” SINCE MR SYLVESTER. UDEMEZUE’S CANDIDATE FAILLED THE VERY OBJECTIVE TEST FOR THE ADOPTION OF THE HIGHLY RESPECTED EGBE AMOFIN THEN I, ALTHOUGH NOT A MEMBER OF THAT ZONE, HAVE BEEN PAID TO RUBBISH THE SAID ADOPTION”.
Can somebody tell this personality to spend a little time more productively in preparing his lecture notes at the Nigerian Law School for the students he professes to be lecturing rather than focusing 99% of his time on the adoption by the members and Leaders of Egbe Amofin Oodua, the Forum of South-West Lawyers, (the group which he does not belong to in the first instance), all in a bid to please his pay-masters? Haba!!!!
A critical examination of his hatched-job reveals no sense of logical reasoning other than a deliberate attempt to scandalise the members and Leaders of Egbe Amofin and disparage the candidate so adopted while extolling the virtues of his preferred candidate. His write-ups including this particular one lacks objectivity and fair-mindedness. May be Mr Sylvester is not aware that in Jurisprudential thought and logic, NOT ALL SOUND ARGUMENTS ARE LOGICAL BUT ALL LOGICAL ARGUMENTS ARE SOUND. His argument at best, has committed what is known by the logicians as”ARGUMENTUM-AD-VERECUDIAN”.
Few days ago, he wrote in another article titled “The Content of My Support During NBA Elections”, that “after a careful thought, deep analysis and in line with the principles I hold dear, I have chosen to not only support but to diligently and vigorously canvass support for Babatunde Ajibade SAN to become the next President.” He went further to state that, “while I work very hard and pray that Dr. Ajibade should win because I think he is the best among equals, I have prepared my mind that whoever wins is the will of God.” Nobody challenged him then because he was trying to sell his highly parochial and perjured subjective mind to his fellow travellers. But to have continued to display, rather arrogantly, to take a swipe at our respected leader,at least as a free born, fully bred yoruba person,such arrogance is viewed as a diarrhea of the mouth of a stupendous ignoramus Let nobody be deceived about his subjectivity and he should allow that will of God to prevail.If he indeed meant what he said, why did he again decided to make series of damaging and disparaging remarks about the ever respected EGBE AMOFIN AND HER ADOPTED CANDIDATE.
In the instant article, he once again deprecated the adoption of Egbe Amofin when he said, electing the adopted Lawyer means mortgaging the interest of the entire NBA membership…. That adoption by tribal groups will divide rather than unite NBA members. Questions: Does any adoption stop the adopted candidate from submitting himself to universal suffrage by Nigerian Lawyers? The answer is NO! Was adoption by a Forum in competition with adoption by another Forum? The answer once again is NO!
An adoption of a particular candidate in preference to other candidates from the same Forum does not by any means derogate from the integrity and independent mindedness of the candidate so adopted to treat all Nigerian Lawyers equally without fear or favour contrary to Mr. Udemezue’s puerile submission. Few instances will confirm this assertion. Olisa Agbakoba SAN was adopted by the Eastern Bar Forum in 2006. He became President and led the Nigerian Bar Association members fairly and squarely. J.B. Daudu SAN was endorsed by the Arewa Lawyers in 2010. He led a very purposeful administration and carried all Nigerian Lawyers along. Okey Wali SAN was adopted by the same Eastern Bar Forum in 2012. As President of the Bar, he loved Nigerian Lawyers equally and led the Nigerian Bar Association in unity. Austin Alegeh SAN was adopted in 2014 by the Mid-West Bar Forum. He led the Nigerian Bar Association to the best of his ability.where was Mr Sylvester udemezue when those event took place?
In particular, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu SAN was adopted by the Egbe Amofin in 2008. He became President of the Nigerian Bar Association unopposed; a fact that united the generality of Nigerian Lawyers in contradistinction to the discord, dissension and disharmony that nowadays characterise NBA Elections, some of which have ended in the Law Court. Of a common feature with NBA Elections in the recent times is to see members who supported a supposedly lost candidates becoming totally disenchanted, disillusioned and disinterested leading to the withdrawal of their participation in the affairs of the Association. Is Mr. Udemezue really a member of the Nigerian Bar Association and yet he is not aware of this present phenomenon? Does Mr. Udemezue realise that the corruption and recklessness that characterise the recent NBA Elections and the consequent recourse to the Law Court for adjudication is totally a disgrace to the Profession that is otherwise noble and honourable?
All the above references, question the rationality of his highly subjective arguments. Other arguments such as adoption will hinder inclusiveness and that adoption will foist a President on Nigerian Lawyers are self-defeating because Nigerian Lawyers will still exercise their right to vote at the NBA Election notwithstanding the adoption by the Forum of any Zone. What Mr. Udemezue fails to realise is that the Constitution of the Nigerian Bar Association 2015, as amended, legally created and endorsed the Zones. By necessary implication, it also recognised the Forums that exist in these Zones.
Furthermore, the Constitution recognises the Sections and Forums within a Zone by necessary interpretation. Therefore, if in the enlightened opinion and interest of a Zone/ Section/ Forum, they decided to manage their own affairs to eliminate scandalization of the electoral process through monetization of the process and corruption of members of the Association by financial inducements, Mr. Udemezue’s disagreement with them confers no right on him to consistently and persistently condemn the actions and the opinions of that Group. He does not love the Nigerian Bar Association more than any other Lawyer in this country neither does he have a monopoly of knowledge.
The existence of the Forums and later the Zones is a product of historical expediency because of the 1992 debacle of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) which it appears that Mr. Udemezue is completely ignorant of. Besides, the Forums have become the recognised pillars on which the Nigerian Bar Association is rested. No amount of illogical reasoning, barren and totally subjective arguments will cover or becloud the essence of the belief and philosophy of the Yoruba race that charity begins at home.
Once again, let Mr. Udemezue continue in the support of the candidate of his choice but Egbe Amofin will insist that he must stop forthwith the culture of persistently insulting and assaulting the sensibilities of members and Leaders of the Forum of South-West Lawyers over a decision they have no regret. If this is not stopped, Egbe Amofin will not hesitate to lodge a complaint to the President of the Nigerian Bar Association and the Council of Legal Education, his employers.
For the reasons above and other reasons which might be saved for some other day.I therefore urge all right thinking lawyers in Nigeria to discard the said write up into the refuse dumb where it rightly belongs for lacking in merit,highly illogical,outstandingly unreasonable, substantially subjective, uncommonly irrelevant and therefore constitute fantastic beautiful nonsense.
I THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PATIENCE TO READ THROUGH THIS PIECE.
Kazeem O. Olaniyan,BA(Philosophy), LLB, LL.M,BL,Ph.D
Head of Department,
Jurisprudence and International Law,
Faculty of Law,
University of Ibadan
