Senior Advocate of Nigeria Chief Jibrin Samuel Okutepa has issued a sharp rejoinder to former NBA First Vice President J. O. Aikpokpo-Martins over the latter’s widely circulated write-up questioning the motives of Egbe Amofin Oodua in the ongoing NBA presidential election crisis, declaring that the real problem plaguing the Nigerian Bar Association is not Egbe Amofin or any other forum but godfatherism, dishonesty, and a systematic collapse of integrity within the Association’s leadership.
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Aikpokpo-Martins had on March 18, 2026, published a statement titled “What Does Egbe Amofin Really Want?” in which he questioned why Egbe Amofin was aggressively pushing for only Aare Muyiwa Akinboro SAN to become NBA President when any Southwest candidate would inevitably win, and alleged that the group’s true objective was to engineer a state of emergency and foist a caretaker regime on the Association.
Responding on March 19, Okutepa SAN said while he would not join issues on the pending litigation before the High Court of Justice, Oyo State, he felt duty-bound to speak his mind because the NBA appeared to be heading toward self-destruction.
“Since NBA seems to be heading to a destination of self-destruct, I owe a duty to speak my mind and perhaps NBA and those who have the duties to do what is right can make a u-turn and do what is right in the interest of the Bar,” Okutepa stated.
The Senior Advocate was emphatic that the source of the NBA’s current crisis is not Egbe Amofin or any of the regional forums within the Association.
“The problem of NBA is not Egbe Amofin. The problem of NBA is not Arewa Lawyers Forum or Mid-West Bar Forum or the South East Lawyers Forum or other Fora within the NBA,” Okutepa declared.
“The problem of NBA today is lack of honesty, integrity and transparency in the running of the affairs of NBA and the glaring fact that some of those who have had the privilege to lead the Bar at one point or the other have decided to become demigods and they have planted themselves as godfathers of NBA without regards for others.”
In his most damning accusations, Okutepa described a cabal of past leaders who have allegedly positioned themselves as permanent kingmakers within the Association, deciding who becomes president from each zone and ensuring that only candidates they can control emerge as leaders.
“These sets of people have in their agenda that only them can decide for NBA and no other person or persons. They have made NBA as personal fiefdom and christened themselves as the overlords of the Association,” Okutepa stated.
He accused these individuals of threatening and coercing lawyers who aspire to NBA offices, requiring them to worship and slavishly follow the opinions of the self-appointed godfathers.
“They threatening and coerced lawyers who want to run for NBA offices to worship them and must only follow their opinions. They have vowed to ensure that only the candidates they want from any particular zone of the country can emerge as president of NBA,” Okutepa said.
The Senior Advocate alleged that these kingmakers have lined up their preferred candidates for the presidency from each zone for years to come, supporting only lawyers they believe they can control and who will do their bidding once in office.
“Today these set of people have positioned themselves as the kingmakers. They are the emperors of the Bar. We all know them. They want to pick from each zone the lawyer they want as President of NBA even when the leadership of that zone does not support the lawyer of their choices. Worst still they only support the lawyer they can control as president of NBA who will be doing their bidding,” he stated.
Okutepa painted a bleak picture of the state of ethics and discipline within the NBA, accusing the Association of celebrating falsehood, rationalizing constitutional breaches, and tolerating conduct that would be unacceptable in any credible professional body.
He lamented that the dirty politics of conventional Nigerian politics had eaten deep into the fabric of the NBA, with inducements and vote-buying now celebrated as normal.
“Today we have character deficit in many aspiring to lead the Bar and we not only keep quiet but we support such characters to assume offices in NBA. We have thrown the etiquette and ethics of the Bar overboard in NBA politics. Inducements and vote buying in NBA is celebrated as normal,” Okutepa stated.
The Senior Advocate expressed particular frustration at the breakdown of respect and decorum within the profession, noting that junior lawyers now openly insult their seniors in the name of NBA politics without any consequences.
“They now encourage some young lawyers to insult their elders and seniors in the name of exercise of their fundamental rights. A day old lawyer can now insult a senior lawyer in the name of NBA politics and nothing happened,” Okutepa lamented.
He said this culture of disrespect has driven many elders away from active participation in NBA affairs, further weakening the Association’s institutional character.
Okutepa concluded that until truth and integrity are restored within the NBA, and until the leadership of the profession is willing to admit its mistakes and correct itself in line with the NBA Constitution and rules, the problems will only deepen.
“So until truth and integrity is restored in NBA and the leadership of the profession admits its mistakes and ready to correct itself in line with NBA Constitution and rules, the problems in NBA will grow deeper and deeper,” he warned.
“Until NBA returns to its core mandates and we all agree to promote those core mandates in truth and not in speeches, the problems of NBA will be growing in geometric proportions in the coming years,” Okutepa stated.
He delivered a final verdict: “NBA is the problem of itself.”
The exchange between Okutepa SAN and Aikpokpo-Martins reflects the deepening divisions within the NBA as the Association grapples with its most turbulent electoral season in recent memory.
The NBA’s 2026 presidential election process is currently embroiled in litigation, with the Electoral Committee proceeding to call for nominations despite contested court orders, rival factions accusing each other of undermining the process, and fundamental questions about the independence and neutrality of the Association’s leadership remaining unresolved.
Okutepa SAN serves as lead counsel to the four Branch Chairmen challenging the composition of the Electoral Committee in the Ibadan High Court suit. His response to Aikpokpo-Martins therefore carries additional weight, as it comes from a lawyer who is not only a commentator on the crisis but an active participant in the legal proceedings at the heart of it.
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