The Midwest Bar Forum has said it would field a candidate in the forthcoming Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) presidential election.
It said its decision to present a candidate, despite the office being ‘zoned’ to the Southwest, is firm and non-negotiable
Midwest Bar restated its position during its meeting in Sapele, Delta State.
The forum shares the same slot with the Southwest Lawyers’ Forum (Egbe Amofin) in producing candidates for the Bar’s Presidency, although it had agitated for a separate slot.
The incumbent President, Okey Wali (SAN), will leave office on August 31.
The Midwest Bar Forum had earlier adopted Mr. Augustin Alegeh (SAN) as its Presidential candidate for the July election.
However, a group of 15 branch chairmen from the West adopted Mr. Dele Adesina (SAN) as Egbe Amofin’s candidate.
The group then wrote the Midwest Bar to inform them of their choice of Adesina.
Ebge Amofin’s letter, signed by Chief A. A. Ayodele and others, reads in part: “We write this letter on behalf of Egbe Amofin leaders and members of South-West Bar Forum of our highly esteemed Association further to the decision our Forum’s meeting held at Abeokuta, Ogun State on August 17, this year.
“As you are well aware, another round of elections of our Association is schedule for July 2014 to elect the officers of the Association. You are further aware that under the existing rotation arrangement, it is the turn of the South-West to produce the President of the Nigerian Bar Association in July.
“We wish to recall that at a meeting of the Bar Leaders held on March 21, 2012 in Abuja convened by J. B. Daudu, SAN, the then Presidential rejected slot for the Mid-West. As a result of this rejection, the then leaders of the Mid-West Bar Forum at their request had a meeting with the leaders of Egbe-Amofin Southwest Bar Forum on Wednesday, the 11th day of July 2012 at Ibadan where a request was made by the Mid-West Bar Forum to be part of the South-West. The delegation was led by the Chairman of the forum at the time Mr. Albert Akpomuaje SAN. Other members of the delegation included Chief Charles Adogah SAN, your humble self, Austin Alege SAN, Blessing Ukiri Esq. (1st Vice-President of NBA at the time), Chairman of NBA Warri Branch (at the time), among others.
“Representing the Egbe Amofin South- West bar Forum at the meeting were Chief Bandele Aiku SAN, Chief Wole Olanipekun SAN, Dele Adesina SAN, Funke Adekoya SAN, Seun Abimbola, Chairman NBA Adesina Branch, Mr. Taiwo, Chairman NBA Akure Branch (Now Justice Owoyomi), among others
“Chief Olanipekun, past President NBA, spoke on behalf of Egbe Amofin at the meeting. The request of the leaders of Mid-West Bar forum was granted based on the following:
“That both parties shall deal with one another in absolute good faith and mutual trust. That 2014 is not negotiable for the Southwest in that the East was having their 3rd round and that it was only fair and just that the Southwest and North have their 3rd rounds in 2014 and 2016 under the existing configuration. That we shall throw our weight behind the candidate of the Mid-West Bar Forum in year 2020 when the rotation comes back to the West.
“This proposal was agreed upon by the delegates on both sides. It will be recalled that the leader of the delegation of the Mid-West Bar Forum. Albert Akpomudje SAN and Chief Charles Adogah SAN commended the decision and expressed their satisfaction.
“In July 2013 without any recourse to us, we read in the newspapers that Mr. Austin Alegeh SAN has been adopted as the candidate of the Mid-West Bar Forum to context the office of the President at the forth coming July 2014 elections. But we said, this cannot be true in view of the 111th July, 20112 agreement.
“It is in the light of the above that we articulate that in the mutual interest of both parties and the overall interest of the Nigerian Bar Association, we should respect the agreement of July 2012″.
But the Midwest Bar said it was not true that it was agreed that it should wait till 2020 when rotation comes back to the West for it to take the Presidential slot.
In its letter to Egbe Amofin, signed by its chairman Chief Ferdinand Orbih SAN, Midwest said: “We write this letter on behalf of Mid-West Bar Forum Leaders and Members, in response to your letter of 9th January, 2014 pertaining to the above stated subject matter.
“In your letter under reference, some important issues were glossed over completely and those that were not glossed over were stated in a distorted manner. There is therefore a need to put all matters in their proper perspective.
“In the first instance, it is not true that at the meeting of 21st of March, 2012 in Abuja, the then President of NBA J. B. Daudu SAN and other Bar Leaders rejected the Mid-West Bar agitation for a Presidential slot. The truth of the matter is that, the then President and Bar Leaders recognised the legitimate demand and aspiration of the Mid-West for a Presidential slot. That is why they decided at the said meeting that members of the Mid-West Bar Forum and Members of the Egbe-Amofin will be entitled to vie for the office of the President of the NBA, at anytime that office is zoned to the West.
“Secondly, it is not correct to say that at the meeting held between the leaders and members of the Mid-West Bar Forum and the leaders and Members of Egbe-Amofin, there was a request made by the former to the latter to be part of the West, as stated in your letter under reference. Rather, what transpired at the Ibadan meeting of the 11th day of July, 2012 was that the Mid-West Bar Forum tabled for discussion the decision by the Bar Leaders (at the meeting held on the 21st of March, 2012 in Abuja), to the effect that members of the Mid-West Bar Forum and Egbe-Amofin will be entitled to vie for the office of the President of the Nigerian Bar Association at anytime it is zoned to the West.
“It was the desire of the Mid-West Bar Forum that an amicable sharing formula be worked out between the Mid-West Bar forum on the one hand, and the Egbe-Amofin on the other hand, whenever it is their joint turn to vie for the presidency of the Nigerian Bar Association, thirdly, it would be recalled that at the meeting held at Ibadan on the 11th of July, 2012, the Mid-West Bar Forum Leaders made a very strong case that in the spirit of equity and fair play, since Egbe-Amofin took the Presidential slot on the last two occasions when it was the turn of the West to vie for the Office of the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, it was now the turn of the Mid-West to take the presidential slot zoned to the West in 2014.
“Fourthly, your statement that it was agreed upon by delegates on both sides that the Mid-West Bar Forum should wait till the year 2020 when rotation comes back to the West for it to take the Presidential slot is, with the greatest respect to your goodselves, total falsehood. The meeting broke up with both sides maintaining their positions but with the hope on the part of the Mid –West, that the Egbe-Amofin will see reason with her on this issue. The delegates from both sides promised to inform their different fora of the issues discussed at the meeting. It was then suggested that if necessary another meeting would be held to further discuss the issue.
“We expect the leaders of Egbe-Amofin to bring their collective wisdom, their sense of justice, equity and fair play to bear on the matter of the 2014 Presidential Election of the Nigerian Bar Association. If that is done, we believe that it will not be too difficult for the Egbe-Amofin to agree that it is indeed right and just for the Mid-West to take the 2014 Presidential slot, since they (Egbe-Amofin) have had it on the last two occasions that the slot was zoned to the West” The meeting also confirmed the adoption of Mackson Orumah for Welfare Secretary, Uche Victor Anozie for Assistant Financial secretary and Olukunle Ogheneovo Edun for Publicity Secretary in the same NBA elections.”
