It is now fully confirmed that Tobenna Erojikwe, who is the Chairman of the Governing Board of the NBA Institute of Continuing Legal Education (NBA-ICLE), will be contesting for the office of President of the Nigerian Bar Association when the ban is lifted later this year.
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This was made known in a new year message in a closed WhatsApp group in which he said, “Let me say it myself: I have an interest in running for the number 1 office of our beloved Association this year. I take the point that you make about being quiet but will only say that, as unconventional as my approach might appear, it has been based on principle and on what I think the proper way of doing things in our profession ought to be.” He continued, “I know that some started canvassing for 2024 votes whilst Olu Akpata was still President. Whilst that is clearly their prerogative, I didnât think it was the right thing to do. I hope that it would, in the end, not have been too risky to try doing things the way that I think they should be done and differently. I just think that the process is as important as the outcome.”
“In the coming months, the ban on politics will be lifted, and then, I hope, a proper interrogation of the aspirants and their credentials for office will be done,” Mr. Erojikwe concluded.
The full text of his New Year message is set out below.
âHappy New Year, Learned Silk! Thanks a lot for your kind and wise words.
It is indeed right to “strike whilst the iron is hot.” So, let me say it myself: I have an interest in running for the number 1 office of our beloved Association this year. I take the point that you make about being quiet but will only say that, as unconventional as my approach might appear, it has been based on principle and on what I think the proper way of doing things in our profession ought to be. I know that some started canvassing for 2024 votes whilst Olu Akpata was still President. Whilst that is clearly their prerogative, I didnât think it was the right thing to do. I hope that it would, in the end, not have been too risky to try doing things the way that I think they should be done and differently. I just think that the process is as important as the outcome.
It is true that cultures differ and that people and their attitudes are different, but my experience practicing elsewhere tells me that our approach to doing things would rarely yield positive results.
It now all comes down to how we do things. I often find myself under a lot of pressure from my supporters to publicly congratulate people on their birthdays, write public tributes to deceased colleagues, and sympathise with people publicly as a way of gaining publicity. I have said NO to these because my upbringing tells me that certain things are private and should be left in that realm. Sadly, some people think we are not serious because we donât do these things. The other thing is sending public felicitations to groups and branches for everything, from their Law Week to their dinner and all other events, in the name of visibility. It just seems strange to me.
But those are not the worst things that are wrong with our political process and our politics. No, I think that the worst is the influence of money on our politics. It is public knowledge that lawyers across Nigeria trade their votes for money either by collecting cash directly, asking contestants to pay for their BPF, conference fees, hotel accommodations at conferences, etc. So, if candidates and the electorate all believe that positions in the NBA are for sale, then one must be constrained to ask whether this thing is about serving the Bar and seeking to create a truly competitive environment that can survive the vagaries of the disruptive effect that the challenges from globalisation, liberalisation, and technology pose to our profession.
Learned Silk, it is unfortunate that, today, we hear stories of this Governor or that politician sponsoring a candidate for the Presidency of the NBA or a group of traders somewhere in Lagos raising money for an aspirant to the NBA Presidency. Are we truly going to be independent and advance our motto of promotion of the Rule of Law if we continue to ridicule ourselves and this profession that way?
I had taken the step of discussing the issues mentioned above with other aspirants, and we had agreed in principle to jointly and publicly condemn issues around vote-buying and extortion within our political process, but unfortunately, there now appears to be a loss of appetite to take this forward. In the end, nevertheless, each of us must do what we, in conscience, think is right and in the best interest of our profession.
My hope is that we will get to a point where a real conversation about the future direction of our profession determines the leadership of the association. Members would ask aspirants why they want to lead,what they plan to do in office, how they plan to do it, and why they are best suited to do it and their track record.
In the coming months, the ban on politics will be lifted, and then, I hope, a proper interrogation of the aspirants and their credentials for office will be done.â
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