*Rejects Aspersions to Besmirch Integrity of Committee, Self
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Prominent legal practitioner and former NBA national officer, John Aikpokpo-Martins, has issued a detailed rebuttal to claims made against him in a December 13, 2025 press release by the Nigerian Bar Association, signed by the 1st Vice President, Sabastine Anyia.
In a statement dated December 17, 2025, and titled “RE: ALL DECISIONS TAKEN IN UYO WERE TO ENSURE THAT ANOTHER CRISIS WAS AVERTED IN SPIDEL – Clarification on Press Release of 13th December, 2025 by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA),” Aikpokpo-Martins said he was compelled to respond to what he described as “inaccuracies” and “defamatory statements” contained in the NBA’s press release.
Aikpokpo-Martins revealed that as the Chairman of the Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL) in 2024, he was a key figure in the crisis that unfolded between the NBA President, Y.C. Maikyau, SAN, and the executives and members of SPIDEL during that period.
“So, for personal reasons, I consciously took the decision to avoid getting embroiled in the raging controversy surrounding SPIDEL,” he stated.
He added that he had exercised restraint and chosen not to engage in public discourse on the matter, despite provocations, in deference to appeals from respected senior leaders of the Bar.
However, according to Aikpokpo-Martins, “the deliberate and specific reference to me in the said press release leaves me no choice but to respond, in order to defend my name and professional reputation.”
The NBA leadership had stated in paragraph 4 of its press release that “the leadership of the NBA also became privy to the decision of the purported electoral committee to clear John Aikpokpo-Martins to be returned unopposed as the candidate for the chairmanship of SPIDEL despite clear constitutional provisions that bar him from running for the same office for a second term.”
Aikpokpo-Martins categorically rejected this assertion as “factually incorrect.”
He quoted Article 11(b)(ii) of the NBA Constitution, which provides that:
“An elected or nominated member (of the executive committee) holds office from the conclusion of the biennial conference of the Association at which he or she is elected/sworn in until the conclusion of the 2nd biennial conference of the Association next following the 1st biennial conference AND he or she shall be eligible for re-election until the conclusion of the next biennial conference. Elected or nominated members who have served for 2 years shall not be eligible for re-election.”
“It is a fact that I did not hold office nor did I serve for 2 years as the chairman of SPIDEL…..I served for only 8 months,” Aikpokpo-Martins stated emphatically.
“It is misleading therefore to state that I was clearly constitutionally barred from running for the same office for a 2nd term. There was indeed no 1st term, having not served from one biennial conference to another as constitutionally provided.”
He further noted that Article 11(b)(ii) provides that “…..AND he or she shall be eligible for re-election until the conclusion of the next biennial conference.”
“The SPIDEL Electoral Committee led by Kunle Edun, Esq., was therefore on firm ground when it cleared me as qualified to contest for the chairmanship of SPIDEL contrary to the unpalatable aspersions deliberately contrived to besmirch the integrity of Kunle Edun SAN, members of his electoral committee and my humble self for no justifiable reason,” he stated.
Aikpokpo-Martins also addressed paragraph 5 of the NBA’s press release, where the leadership alleged that “despite the myriad of constitutional breaches, the purported electoral committee had also drawn up a list of what appeared to be hand-picked nominees of John Aikpokpo-Martins to be equally returned unopposed as elected officers of SPIDEL.”
“I find this defamatory statement to be terribly unbecoming, speculative and an unwarranted attack of my person, the integrity of the Electoral Committee and the sensibilities of lawyers. The process of nominations was transparent and opened to all members, with no evidence of ‘hand-picking’ as implied,” he responded.
He expressed disappointment that the NBA leadership could make what he described as “this very unbecoming, speculative and defamatory statement, wherein they calculatedly sought to malign my name and impugn on the integrity of Kunle Edun SAN and other great men and women of integrity in the electoral committee.”
“This was a process that was transparent and opened to all members. I wonder how the NBA leadership came to the untenable and malicious impression and conclusion that ‘the …..Electoral committee had drawn up a list of what appeared to be hand-picked nominees of John Aikpokpo-Martins to be equally returned unopposed as elected officers of SPIDEL,'” he stated.
Aikpokpo-Martins revealed that on December 2, 2025, at an “all stakeholders” meeting in Uyo, which was in fact convened by Prof. Paul Ananaba, SAN, he voluntarily stepped down from the chairmanship race.
He said he took this decision “to de-escalate tensions, to avoid being the focal point of controversy and from being perceived as a power-monger with insatiable thirst for power or relevance.”
However, he added, “I firmly registered my objection to what transpired that night, right, at the meeting.”
“I had no intention to speak on this issue publicly, except that I have been compelled by the ill-advised press release and to defend myself from the needless attacks on my person by my friends in the NBA,” Aikpokpo-Martins stated.
While acknowledging that there were “several other inaccuracies and half-truths in the press release” that he could address, Aikpokpo-Martins said he chose “to exercise restraint out of respect for the institution and senior leaders of the Bar.”
“I remain committed to upholding decency and professionalism in the practice of law and in NBA politics,” he concluded.
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