“Everybody is equal before the law; the perceived discrepancy in the approach to justice for the rich and the poor is one of the corrections that an NBA under my leadership would correct. Since the court is the last hope of the common man, justice should not only be done, but be seen to be manifestly done. I would work on the integrity of the Bar and revamping of the Judiciary if elected to the position so as to empower the legal institution to truly perform the statutory function for which it was created”. – A. B. Mahmoud, SAN At exactly 01.15pm, the Movement for #ABraveNewBar as the A. B. Mahmoud campaign organisation is now known arrived at the premises of The Nation Newspapers House, Fatai Atere Road, Matori, Lagos for the 02.00pm appointment with a large retinue of lawyers drawn from the Lagos, Kaduna and Abuja chapters Branches of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA). The entourage was so large that all the seats were occupied and some of the guests had to stand in The Nation newspaper’s conference room for the duration of the Press Conference. The usual pleasantries between the guests and the hosts preceded A. B. Mahmoud, SAN’s unveiling of his manifesto, programmes and plans for the NBA, if elected into office as its next President. Soji Omotunde, the General Manager, Corporate Services of The Nation newspaper then set the ball rolling by calling on A. B. Mahmoud, SAN to tell the journalists the reason for his visit to the newspaper house. “I have always been asked wherever I go: why do you want to become the President of the NBA?” said A. B. Mahmoud, SAN, in his preliminary remarks, “and my answer has always been – a call to duty, a pay-back time, to give back to the Bar through selfless service with a view to revamping the judiciary in order to effectively uphold the rule of law.” He told the journalists that he is a stakeholder in the NBA and the Judiciary having a daughter who is also a lawyer and his wife, Honourable Justice Patricia Mahmoud who is a Judge in Kano State. In this circumstance, he explained that whatever happened to the Bar was of grave concern to him. Furthermore, A. B. Mahmoud, SAN told The Nation’s editors that a more compelling reason for him to be in this race for the NBA presidency was a desire to revamp the judiciary, which has been under ‘critical scrutiny,’ in recent times. “This also puts the Bar under scrutiny,” he said. “It behoves us to give integrity to the leadership of the Bar. This is why I am in the race.” He explained that true independence and integrity were key ingredients that the judiciary needed to douse the ‘crisis of confidence’ which respectable members of the public have expressed against the legal institution. “Furthermore, we have a duty to raise ethical standards in the profession. We are conscious of the fact that NBA is a major tool for national development. NBA is key to maintaining the rule of law, especially in the struggle against corruption and the efforts to rebuild the country. This is why the leadership of the Bar is of serious concern to all Nigerians; and as a Nation, Nigeria requires a truly independent Judiciary and Bar Asociation.” A. B. Mahmoud, SAN told The Nation’s Editors that his candidature was the right opportunity which the NBA needed to raise ethical standards at the Bar and uphold the integrity of the Judiciary since he had never been a Politician. “I have never been a card-carrying member of any political party. I have never been in politics. So, I have no political affiliation. We need a leader with such political neutrality to lead the Bar.” He explained that there was no law forbidding a lawyer from having any affiliation with a political party, but that such affiliation would interfere with the integrity of the leadership of the Bar, especially if such a lawyer aspires to be a President of the Nigerian Bar Association. “It is important to maintain neutrality and integrity of the Bar.” He said. He told the journalists that over 500,000 lawyers across the country would be going to the polls next month to pick their President and other officials to run the affairs of the NBA for the next two years. “This is the first time we are experimenting with electronic voting,” he said, adding that there was need for enlightenment on the voting pattern, especially for the older generation of lawyers who are BBC (Born Before Computers), that is those who had been in practice before the advent and use of technology in the legal practice. He told the editors that there would be no assembly of lawyers in one location, but that voters would vote from the convenience of their computers and other compliant electronic devices. The press conference got down to the question and answer session, and Soji Omotunde set the ball rolling: “You are not the only candidate vying for the presidency of NBA, why do you consider yourself the more qualified for the post?” “My competitor in this race, J. K. Gadzama, SAN, is eminently qualified, But, I am more qualified in several ways. First, I was called to the Bar six years before him. I have had varied experience both in public and private sectors of the practice. I rose through the ranks in the Kano State Judiciary to become the Attorney General; from where I went off to co-found the law firm of Dikko & Mahmoud. I have had trainings locally and abroad and have been in many privileged positions. My experience in ractice is also very significant in providing the required leadership for young lawyers who aspire for career development within the several legal sectors in Nigeria. “This is actually the second time I am running for the presidency of the NBA. The first time was in 2004 when I ran against Chief Bayo Ojo, SAN and Mr. J.B. Daudu, SAN. Though I had made an earlier attempt in 2002, I withdrew following an agreement reached with the elders of the Bar that henceforth the position of the President, along with the other key positions, would rotate across the country. “This was intended to reduce the unnecessary competition and friction our elections generated and also to encourage inclusiveness and a sense of belonging among our members.” Next, Tunji Adegboyega, the Deputy Chairman of the Editorial Board asked: “Why is it that when a poor man faces justice no-body talks about the rule of law, but when a rich man is in court, there is this clamour for the rule of law?” A. B. Mahmoud, SAN said “everybody is equal before the law,” adding that the perceived discrepancy in the approach to justice for the rich and the poor was one of the corrections that an NBA under his leadership would correct. Since the court is the last hope of the common man, justice should not only be done, but be seen to be manifestly done. He then promised to work on the integrity of the Bar and revamping of the Judiciary if elected to the position so as to empower the legal institution to truly perform the statutory function for which it was created. Lekan Otufodurin, the Online Editor of The Nation asked A. B. Mahmoud, SAN “what would you do to uphold the rule of law? Do you feel the present administration is obeying the rule of law?” A. B. Mahmoud, SAN said “The rule of law is the fulcrum upon which a decent society rests,” adding that if you remove the rule of law, the whole edifice of the society would come crashing down, leaving anarchy to reign. He expressed the belief that the present administration had followed the rule of law as exemplified in the trial of those who had been charged to court in the anti-graft war. John Austine Unachukwu, the Judiciary editor of The Nation newspaper – who is also vying for the post of the Public Relations Officer of the NBA, asked what plans A. B. Mahmoud, SAN had for young lawyers who are just starting out a career – especially in the face of the economic woes facing the country. To this A. B. Mahmoud, SAN said that the NBA under his administration would work out an arrangement in which young lawyers engaged in the chambers of the senior ones would have a minimum standard remuneration that would afford a decent living at that level and arrangements would be made to re-train the young lawyers to equip them to face the challenges of practising effectively in today’s Bar and in the present economy. A. B. Mahmoud, SAN was accompanied on this visit by eminent members of the Bar drawn from its different Branches including amongst others Dr. Garba Tetengi, SAN, mni who is the alternate chairman of the A. B. Mahmoud Campaign Steering Committee, Mr. Muritala Abdul-Rasheed, Director General of the Committee, Mr. Alex Muoka, immediate past chairman of the Lagos Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association. Others were Barrister Kunle Adegoke, Folashade Ashim and 20 others from the Lagos Branch of the NBA. … An eventful day indeed …the Movement for #ABraveNewBar … trudges on. By Omololu Kassim Lagos ]]>