Members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Owerri Branch, have impeached their Chairman, Prof. Mazi Udegbulem, following a unanimous vote by 215 members at an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) held at the Bar Centre on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, amid allegations of financial mismanagement involving a ₦100 million donation from the Imo State Government.
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The members also resolved to formally notify banks not to honour any financial instrument issued by the impeached Chairman and the Branch Treasurer, following the adoption of an investigative committee’s report containing allegations of misappropriation and diversion of Branch funds.
According to an account of the meeting circulated by members, all 215 financial members present voted in favour of Udegbulem’s removal, with no dissenting vote, bringing his tenure to an end about four months after he assumed office.
The meeting further resolved that the Vice Chairman should assume office as Acting Chairman, while Udegbulem should be removed as administrator of all NBA Owerri WhatsApp platforms.
Members also called for disciplinary action against individuals accused of disrupting Branch meetings during the leadership dispute.
The impeachment followed nearly three months of controversy over the management of ₦100 million donated by the Imo State Government in August 2026 to facilitate the movement of Branch members to the NBA Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The dispute began after some members questioned how the money was managed and demanded an investigation into the expenditure.
At the Branch’s Monthly General Meeting on September 26, 2026, Udegbulem reportedly constituted a five-member committee to investigate the allegations against his administration.
However, some members objected to the arrangement, arguing that the Chairman could not constitute a committee to investigate allegations involving himself without raising questions of impartiality.
A formal Notice of Removal was subsequently served on him on September 28, 2026.
Following the disagreement, 183 members, coordinated by former Branch Secretary Chinedu Agu, requisitioned an Extraordinary General Meeting for October 10.
According to the members’ account, the meeting could not proceed because the Bar Centre was locked and police officers were stationed around the premises.
The account alleged that Udegbulem was responsible for the closure and police deployment, although that allegation has not been independently established.
The requisitionists subsequently rescheduled the meeting for October 15.
The NBA President, Mrs Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, intervened following an appeal by the Chairman and directed that the meeting be allowed to proceed.
She also constituted a three-member national committee to investigate allegations surrounding the donation and directed its members to attend the October 15 meeting.
At the meeting, Branch members welcomed the national investigation but insisted on establishing their own independent committee.
Consequently, the General Meeting dissolved the committee earlier constituted by Udegbulem and appointed a fresh five-member investigative panel chaired by Chidi Nworka.
The committee was mandated to examine the receipt, management and disbursement of the government donation and make recommendations to the Branch.
Udegbulem subsequently challenged the Branch committee through legal proceedings at the Imo State High Court, Aboh Mbaise, and the Federal High Court, Owerri, seeking to restrain its activities.
According to the account, the proceedings did not prevent the committee from completing its investigation on October 31, 2026.
Meanwhile, another General Meeting had been scheduled for October 31 to consider the committee’s findings and the proposed removal of the Chairman.
The members alleged that, on the evening preceding that meeting, Udegbulem instituted another action seeking to prevent the Branch from discussing his removal after the issue appeared on the agenda circulated by the Secretary.
They further alleged that the October 31 meeting became chaotic after persons described as non-lawyers, students and suspected thugs were brought to the venue to disrupt proceedings.
According to the account, the Chairman ruled out of order members who attempted to discuss his removal or the investigative committee’s report.
Those reportedly prevented from contributing included former Branch Chairman Dec Madu.
The situation prompted several senior lawyers and former Branch chairmen to walk out in protest.
Among those identified were Chief Mike Ahamba, SAN, described as the Doyen of the Owerri Bar; Emeka Nwagwu, SAN; Dec Madu; and former Branch Secretary Willie Opara.
The meeting reportedly ended after approximately 40 minutes without consideration of the remaining agenda items.
Following the October 31 incident, 251 members, coordinated by Chuks Agbugba and Chinedu Agu, requisitioned another Extraordinary General Meeting for November 10 at 2 p.m. at the Bar Centre.
According to the members’ account, Udegbulem again approached the Federal High Court in Owerri to challenge the proposed meeting, filing a fourth suit in which Agbugba and Agu were among the respondents.
Despite the court action, members assembled at the Bar Centre for the meeting.
On arrival, they reportedly found that the Chairman was absent from the meeting hall, while only one member of the Branch Executive Committee, the Publicity Secretary, Chimere Okoronkwo, was present.
Emeka Nwagwu, SAN, who was identified as the most senior lawyer in attendance, consequently proposed that Dec Madu, the next most senior member, preside over the meeting, with Okoronkwo serving as Secretary.
However, as Madu approached the rostrum, Udegbulem reportedly emerged from his office accompanied by supporters and insisted that the meeting would not hold.
The resulting disagreement was eventually resolved through the intervention of four former Branch chairmen: Emeka Nwagwu, SAN; Dec Madu; D. O. Nosike; and J. I. Ogamba.
They reportedly explained that Madu had been nominated to preside only because members initially believed that Udegbulem was absent.
Following their intervention, the Chairman agreed to preside and called the meeting to order.
In his opening remarks, he reportedly maintained that he had not convened the EGM because its propriety was already being challenged in court.
During the proceedings, Chinedu Agu moved a motion requesting that the Chairman recuse himself to allow members to deliberate on his proposed removal.
The motion was supported by Ugonna Onuegbu.
According to the account, attempts to rule Agu out of order were unsuccessful.
Agu subsequently moved another motion seeking Udegbulem’s removal from office, which was seconded by Chukwuemeka Anyanwu and received overwhelming support from members.
As disagreements continued, another former Branch Chairman, L. U. N. Nwakaeti, reportedly introduced voting by voice and a show of hands to determine the position of members.
Following the initial show of hands, members proposed that the votes be formally counted at the Hon. Justice P. C. Onumajulu Square.
At the square, all 215 members present reportedly voted in favour of Udegbulem’s removal, with no vote against the motion.
The members’ account further alleged that during the voting exercise, Udegbulem grabbed and broke a microphone in an attempt to prevent the votes from being recorded.
It stated that members recovered the microphone and continued the process, after which the Chairman left the premises amid protests.
Following the impeachment, the General Meeting received and adopted the report of the five-member investigative committee chaired by Nworka.
According to the account, the report contained allegations of misappropriation and embezzlement involving Udegbulem, the Branch Treasurer, the Chairman of the Logistics Planning Committee and the Committee’s Alternate Chairman.
The findings reportedly raised questions concerning the disbursement and management of the ₦100 million government donation and recommended further action against the officers identified.
The General Meeting adopted the report and proceeded to pass additional resolutions concerning the administration and finances of the Branch.
Among the resolutions was a directive that banks dealing with NBA Owerri Branch should be formally notified not to honour any financial instrument issued by Udegbulem and the Treasurer.
The decision was aimed at preventing the continued execution of financial instructions by the affected officers following the leadership change.
However, the account did not identify the banks concerned or establish whether the financial institutions had received the notices or acted upon them.
Members also resolved to remove Udegbulem as administrator of all NBA Owerri WhatsApp platforms and commence disciplinary action against members identified as having disrupted the meeting at his alleged instigation.
The meeting further resolved that the Vice Chairman should take over as Acting Chairman of the Branch.
According to the account, the report of the three-member committee constituted by the NBA President, which also allegedly identified incidents of diversion of funds involving the Chairman, was subsequently circulated on NBA Owerri communication platforms.
The meeting ended with members locking the Bar Centre.
The impeachment represents the culmination of a leadership dispute that began with questions about the expenditure of the ₦100 million government donation and subsequently escalated into competing investigations, litigation and disagreements over the conduct of Branch meetings.
Udegbulem had previously denied financial wrongdoing and challenged the impartiality of the Branch investigative committee.
The allegations contained in the committee reports remain separate from any final judicial or disciplinary determination of wrongdoing.
While the members’ account records a unanimous vote by 215 persons and the adoption of resolutions restricting financial instructions from the impeached Chairman and Treasurer, the underlying attendance register, voting record and signed resolutions were not supplied with the account.
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