John Aikpokpo-Martins, a former First Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), has strongly criticised the intervention of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, in the ongoing leadership crisis within the NBA, insisting that the AGF lacks the constitutional or statutory authority to interfere in the association’s internal affairs.
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In a statement issued in response to the AGF’s July 7, 2026 directive titled, “Directions and Outcomes on the Report of the 3-Man Committee set up to look into the Causes of the Present Conflicts within the Nigerian Bar Association, particularly on the Way Forward regarding the Upcoming 2026 Elections of National Officers of the Nigerian Bar Association,” Aikpokpo-Martins said the Attorney-General’s actions amounted to unlawful interference in the affairs of an independent professional body.
The former NBA vice president aligned himself with the positions earlier taken by the NBA President, the Midwest Bar Forum, the Eastern Bar Forum, NBA representatives on the General Council of the Bar, Kunle Edun, SAN, and other senior lawyers who have condemned the AGF’s involvement.
According to him, the NBA remains a voluntary, independent and self-regulating association, and no government official possesses the legal authority to dictate its electoral timetable, determine the composition of its electoral body, or prescribe eligibility criteria for candidates.
He further criticised what he described as the “condescending tone” of the AGF’s statement, likening it to “a headmaster issuing directives to his school prefects.”
Aikpokpo-Martins particularly faulted the AGF’s recommendations that the NBA’s July 2026 national elections be postponed to August or a later date and that an Independent Electoral Oversight and Audit Committee be constituted to conduct the elections, whether under the current administration or a caretaker committee.
The former NBA official said those recommendations validated concerns he had expressed in a March 23, 2026 statement titled “What Does Egbe Amofin Really Want?” in which he alleged that litigation challenging aspects of the NBA electoral process was designed to create conditions for the imposition of a caretaker committee.
He claimed that current calls for postponement of the elections and discussions surrounding a caretaker arrangement were consistent with his earlier prediction, alleging that a group operating under the platform of Egbe Amofin was pursuing a broader agenda to disrupt the electoral process and influence the future structure of the association.
Aikpokpo-Martins argued that although the NBA may face governance challenges, such issues do not empower the Attorney-General to issue directives on the administration of the association or the conduct of its elections.
He maintained that while the NBA remains open to advice from stakeholders, including the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, such advice cannot translate into binding directives because the AGF has no supervisory powers over the association.
He also warned against any attempt to return the NBA to its former delegates voting system, alleging that some interests were seeking constitutional amendments to alter the association’s electoral structure, zoning arrangement and rotation of national offices.
Describing the dispute as one concerning the independence of the legal profession rather than support for any particular candidate, Aikpokpo-Martins urged NBA members to resist what he termed unlawful interference in the association’s affairs while encouraging continued dialogue between the NBA leadership, the Attorney-General and other stakeholders to resolve concerns surrounding the electoral process.
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