- Safiu Kehinde
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President, Afam Osigwe (SAN), has explained reason behind the association’s rejection of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), intervention in the NBA’s election.
NPO Reported that the NBA had rejected a directive of the AGF demanding the suspension of the association’s election slated to hold today 18th of July.
This was however rejected by the NBA who insisted on conducting the election.
Speaking on Arise TV’s Insight programme on Friday, Osigwe recounted what transpired and led to the rejection of the directed.
He disclosed how the sub-committee established to look into the election affairs met with all parties involved in the election to settle dispute among contestants in the election before appearance of the AGF in the picture.
“The directives will be unacceptable for the bar to carry out. If you recall, the directives emanated from attempts by the Attorney-General to organise an amicable resolution of the matter.
“And the usual thing is when party choose to resolve the matter amicably, certain terms of settlement will be filed in court.
“We had a meeting and a sub-committee was appointed to deal with a narrow issue.
“Upon the agreement of all the parties at that meeting that the suits were frivolous and politically motivated and that there was no reason for going to court in the first place.” He said.
Osigwe disclosed that the AGF who waded in with his directive for the suspension of the election made no official communication the NBA as her directive was only seen on social media, prompting the rejection of the directive.
“Suddenly, what purported to be wide ranging findings and recommendations by that committee and directions by the Attorney-General appeared on the social media.
Upon reading them in the social media, because they did not appear on the letterhead of the Attorney-General and were not officially communicated to the bar, we rejected them to avoid the impression being unwittingly created that the bar has lost its independence such that the electoral process of the bar can be controlled by the Attorney-General and that the Attorney-General can sit in his office and dish out directions.” the NBA President said.
He noted that hearkening to the directive of the AGF could endanger the bar and give the AGF undue authority over the association.
“Allowing that could also endanger the bar as that Attorney-General or any Attorney-General can wake up one coming and suspend all the executives of the bar or take far reaching actions against the bar.
“We have our constitution and there is legal practitioners’ act and every other rule that regulate our profession. None of these instruments gives the Attorney-General given any such power.” He added.