In a letter dated September 17, 2024, Egbe Amofin acknowledged receipt of the Midwest Forum’s (MWBF) earlier correspondence conceding the NBA presidency to the South-West, but lamented that the gesture is being sabotaged by Alegeh through orchestrated rebellion.
Noting that it had expected a joint meeting of the forums in Warri to deliberate on the forthcoming NBA Elections, the Egbe stated that it was suddenly confronted with the MBWF concession letter.
The Egbe noted that recent events at and after the 2025 NBA Annual General Conference in Enugu had forced it to speak out publicly, citing observations by former NBA Ikorodu Branch chairman, Mr. Bayo Akinlade concerning the build-up to and integrity of the forthcoming election.
Egbe Amofin then launched a blistering attack on Alegeh, accusing him of undermining the consensus hammered out by the forum concerning its choice candidate for the NBA Presidency.
The forum stressed that past Bar leaders are expected to rise above politics and act as unifying figures and not as divisive campaigners, describing Alegeh’s actions as corrosive.
The Egbe defended its adoption of Mr. Olumuyiwa Akinboro SAN as the South-West consensus candidate, insisting that it followed a rigorous, transparent, and participatory process.
Below is the full text of the Egbe Amofin letter.
17th September 2024
NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION GENERAL ELECTIONS 2026: MIDWEST BAR FORUM CONCEDES OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION TO THE SOUTH WEST.
LET THE EGBE AMOFIN OODUA BREATH: CLARION CALL ON MR. AUGUSTIN ALEGEH SAN TO STOP ENCOURAGING REBELLION AGAINST EGBE AMOFIN OODUA’S RESOLUTION
We acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated August 22, 2026 addressed to Mazi Afam Osigwe SAN, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association and copied the Chairman of Egbe Amofin OOdua, Aare Isiaka Abiola Olagunju SAN.
Firstly, we note the decision of the Mid-West Bar Forum to concede the position of the next President of the Nigerian Bar Association in the 2026 NBA General Election to the south west. You will recall that we had earlier contacted you on the need to convey a meeting between the Leaders of Egbe Amofin Oodua and Mid- West Bar Forum in order to discuss our concerns in respect of NBA 2026 General Election and future engagements between the two fora.
We were awaiting the date of the meeting which we have agreed to hold at Warri, Delta State when we received suddenly a copy of the above letter addressed to the President of the Nigerian Bar Association informing us of your concession to the south west.
However, due to the unfolding scenarios at and after the 2025 NBA Annual General Conference, held in Enugu, we are left with no choice but to communicate our concerns to you and other members of the Nigerian Bar Association through this medium.
We have also read with keen attention the statement authored by our respected colleague, Mr. Bayo Akinlade, former Chairman of Ikorodu Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), wherein he raised fundamental questions about the propriety of recent developments in the build-up to the 2026 NBA Presidential Election.
His intervention derives from a genuine concern for the integrity of our Association and the preservation of its cherished traditions.
It is therefore incumbent upon us, as custodians of the collective will of the Egbe Amofin O’odua (Yoruba Lawyers Forum), to place the records straight, and in particular, to formally report and respond to the unbecoming conduct of a leader of Mid-West Bar Forum, a former President of the NBA, a Trustee of the NBA, Mr. Augustine Alegeh SAN, whose recent interference has the potential to encourage rebellion among members of Egbe Amofin Oodua and fracture the delicate fabric of unity within our noble profession.
The practice of rotating the office of NBA President among the various geo-political zones of Nigeria did not emerge by accident. It is the product of hard-won developmental evolution within the Association. The initiators of this tradition recognized that, in a country as diverse as ours, equity and inclusiveness cannot be achieved by mere rhetoric; they must be embodied practices in our association.
The rotational arrangement was therefore designed to guarantee fairness, reduce sectional domination and promote a healthy sense of belonging acrossplcontributed immeasurably to the stability and cohesion of the NBA. It is this hallowed tradition that Mr. Alegeh SAN now seeks to undermine by his open partisanship.
The NBA holds its past leaders in high esteem. A former President of our Association, by virtue of his antecedents, is expected to rise above factionalism and to act as a unifying elder statesman. To descend into the partisan fray by openly campaigning against the consensus candidate of an entire regional bloc is, to put it mildly, unbecoming.
That Mr. Augustine Alegeh, SAN, has elected to cast aside this noble expectation, and to actively canvass support for a candidate not selected within the paradigm of due process, is regrettable. By so doing, he desecrates the unity painstakingly forged within the South-West and exposes our Association to needless rebellion.
It is also pertinent to remind Mr. Alegeh, SAN, that the very Mid-west Bar Forum, his own home region, officially conceded the 2026 NBA Presidency to the Yoruba States of the South West.
Furthermore, at the Pre-NEC meeting in Enugu, this Mid-west concession was expressly adopted as part of the fulfillment of the constitutional provisions micro- zoning within the NBA. It was not a casual or private arrangement but a solemn decision endorsed at the highest level of the Association, underscoring its binding force on all members of the Mid-west Bar Forum, including Mr. Alegeh SAN himself.
It is therefore baffling and profoundly disappointing that a former President and Trustee of our noble Association, who ought to be the custodian of its traditions and decisions, would now turn around to act in flagrant contradiction to the official and collective decision of his own region.
Contrary to the insinuation that consensus is a mere imposition, Egbe Amofin followed a rigorous, transparent, and participatory process in arriving at its decision to adopt Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN, as its candidate for the 2026 NBA Presidency.
All aspirants from the region were duly invited, screened, and accorded a fair appraisal. Among those who presented themselves was Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo- Okunsanya, (SAN designate) a respected colleague in her own right. After thorough deliberations, it was adjudged that Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro SAN best embodied the competence, experience, and broad acceptability required to represent the South- West.
Thus, the consensus was not a whimsical imposition, but product of fairness and merit. It is this process that Mr. Alegeh SAN now seeks to ridicule by his parallel endorsement. When a former President and Trustee abandons his role as a statesman and assumes the position of campaign manager for an aspirant already subjected to, and fairly evaluated by, a regional caucus, the effect is corrosive. It breeds rebellion, suspicion, confusion and it undermines collective decision-making and widens fault lines.
Egbe Amofin cannot, and shall not, fold its arms while such divisive tendencies are foisted upon our Association. We therefore issue a clear caution to all desperate leaders of the Bar to desist from this ethically reprehensible conduct, lest they incur the justified opprobrium of the Egbe Amofin and the right-thinking members of the Bar.
We wish to thank all members of the Bar particularly Mr. Bayo Akinlade for courageously raising his voice at this critical juncture. His intervention resonates with the deep concerns of many lawyers who have watched, with alarm, the descent into personalised politicking that now threatens to overshadow our cherished traditions.
Let it be known that Egbe Amofin is not opposed to democracy. On the contrary, our commitment to democratic ethos is precisely why we insist that regional consensus, rotational fairness, and inclusivity must not be sacrificed on the altar of individual ambition.
We have also been inundated with complaints from lawyers across the country about the ferocious solicitation of votes being carried out by agents of certain aspirants, using institutional apparatus and undue influence. Egbe Amofin hereby serves notice that it will resist every attempt to manipulate the process, whether openly or covertly, by any self-serving or desperate elements.
Our resolve is clear: we shall interrogate the process, call out those who seek to compromise it, and defend the NBA against becoming anyone’s personal fiefdom.
The Nigerian Bar Association deserves leadership that is born out of fairness, transparency, and due regard for established principles. The Egbe Amofin remains firmly committed to these ideals. We re-affirm our support for Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN, as the consensus candidate of the South-West, chosen after a transparent and credible process.
A transparent, free, and fair election, anchored on principles already agreed upon by all regions, is not negotiable. Egbe Amofin shall remain vigilant, steadfast, and unyielding in the defence of justice, fairness, and the democratic integrity of the Nigerian Bar Association.
Thank you.
Yours Faithfully,
President Isiaka Abiola Olagunju, SAN
Chairman, Governing Council
O’odua Law Society
Adetunji Oso,
Secretary,
Governing Council
O’odua Law Society
No comments:
Post a Comment