The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Owerri Branch, on Saturday impeached its Chairman, Dr. Mazi Udegbulem, following a dispute over the handling and expenditure of N100 million received by the Branch from the Imo State Government, TheNigeriaLawyer has gathered.
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The impeachment move, which took place during the Branch’s Monthly General Meeting, was reportedly triggered by concerns among members over the purpose for which the N100 million was provided, how the money was subsequently spent and whether the expenditure received the required approval of the Branch General Meeting.
The N100 million at the centre of the controversy formed part of N350 million financial support reportedly released by the Imo State Government to the six branches of the Nigerian Bar Association in Imo State ahead of the 2026 NBA Annual General Conference.
Under the reported distribution, NBA Owerri Branch was allocated N100 million, while the other five NBA branches in the state were allocated N50 million each, bringing the total intervention to N350 million. The financial support was announced at a dinner hosted for lawyers by the Imo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Hon. Paul Obinatu.
The fact that the financial intervention came from the Imo State Government was subsequently confirmed by NBA Mbaise Branch, which publicly stated that it received its own N50 million from the Imo State Government towards the 2026 Annual General Conference after submitting its account details at the dinner hosted by the Attorney-General.
TheNigeriaLawyer had previously reported the controversy surrounding the N350 million, including questions raised by Owerri-based human rights lawyer and former Secretary of NBA Owerri Branch, Chinedu Agu, over the circumstances surrounding the payments, their timing and the need for transparency in the management of the funds.
Fresh information obtained by TheNigeriaLawyer following Saturday’s meeting indicates that the immediate dispute which culminated in the impeachment of Udegbulem centred on allegations that the N100 million received by NBA Owerri was not ultimately used for the purpose for which members understood it had been provided.
A source familiar with what transpired at the meeting told TheNigeriaLawyer that the concern was not simply that the Branch received the money, but what it was subsequently used for.
“The reason for the money, what he was sent for, wasn’t what he used it for,” the source said.
According to the source, part of the N100 million was used to carry out improvements at the NBA Owerri Bar Centre, including the installation of solar facilities, air-conditioning units and additional seats.
“We started using the money to do solar at the Bar Centre, put AC, put more seats and all kinds,” the source said.
The central objection raised by members, according to the account obtained by TheNigeriaLawyer, was that expenditure of that nature ought to have received the prior approval of the Branch General Meeting.
The source maintained that under the NBA Uniform Bye-Law governing Branch finances, the leadership could not expend Branch funds in that manner without the requisite approval.
Questions were also reportedly raised over whether a full account of how the N100 million was spent had been presented to members on the Branch platform.
TheNigeriaLawyer understands that these concerns formed a substantial part of the grievances which eventually resulted in the motion for Udegbulem’s removal at Saturday’s Monthly General Meeting.
The controversy over the money had, however, been building for several weeks.
Agu had earlier raised questions about the N350 million financial intervention, stating that NBA Owerri received N100 million while each of the remaining five branches was allocated N50 million.
He had demanded transparency over how much was received, why the funds were provided and how the money was ultimately deployed.
In an earlier intervention, Agu stated that the Imo State Attorney-General had announced the N350 million support at a dinner for lawyers, with the money reportedly intended to support lawyers attending the NBA Annual General Conference.
He subsequently stated that NBA Owerri received its N100 million on August 24, 2026, while continuing to raise questions over the administration and disclosure of the funds.
The latest information obtained by TheNigeriaLawyer therefore suggests that the disagreement which culminated in Saturday’s impeachment focused particularly on two issues: the allegation that the N100 million was deployed for purposes different from those for which it was provided, and the claim that expenditure on solar facilities, air-conditioners, seating and other improvements at the Bar Centre was undertaken without prior General Meeting approval.
However, nothing in the material presently available to TheNigeriaLawyer establishes that the money was diverted for the personal benefit of Udegbulem or any other person.
The allegation, as presented by those questioning the expenditure, concerns the purpose for which the N100 million was applied and the procedure through which the expenditure was authorised, rather than an established finding of personal misappropriation.
The exact terms attached to the N100 million when the Imo State Government provided the money, including the extent to which the funds were legally or formally restricted exclusively to conference-related expenses, have also not been independently established from the material available to TheNigeriaLawyer.
Meanwhile, a separate controversy has emerged over whether the impeachment itself complied with the mandatory procedure laid down in the NBA Uniform Bye-Law for Branches.
Agu, in a statement issued after Saturday’s meeting, maintained that the procedure adopted in removing Udegbulem was defective and could not stand under the Uniform Bye-Law.
According to him, although the impeachment motion was moved by Chukwuemeka Anyanwu and supported by Ikechukwu Umah, the prescribed procedure for removing an elected Branch officer before the expiration of his tenure was not followed.
Agu said Article 13 of the Uniform Bye-Law requires any proposal or motion seeking the removal of a Branch officer to first be made in writing, state the grounds for removal, be signed by at least five financial members and be forwarded to the Branch Secretary at least 21 days before the General Meeting at which the proposal is to be considered.
He further stated that the affected officer must be notified in writing by the Branch Secretary at least 14 days before the meeting, while the removal proposal must also appear as an item on the agenda.
Agu additionally relied on Article 13(1)(f), which provides that an elected Branch officer or member of the Branch Executive Committee may be removed through a two-thirds majority vote of financial members present and voting at a General Meeting of the Branch.
He consequently maintained that the process undertaken at Saturday’s meeting was procedurally defective for failure to satisfy those preliminary requirements.
According to Agu, the fact that allegations have been made against an elected officer does not automatically result in his removal.
He argued that there must be a properly convened General Meeting, participation by financial members entitled to vote and the required two-thirds majority before a Branch officer can validly be removed.
“It is important to state this legal position clearly, as we cannot, as lawyers, be seen to perpetuate a constitutional error,” Agu said.
He therefore maintained that those seeking Udegbulem’s removal should commence the process afresh and comply strictly with the Uniform Bye-Law to guarantee due process, fairness and adherence to the governing rules of the Association.
Information obtained by TheNigeriaLawyer also indicates that those behind the removal move intend to commence the process afresh using what they consider to be the proper procedure.
The controversy has therefore developed along two distinct fronts: the substantive dispute over the use and authorisation of expenditure from the N100 million received from the Imo State Government, and the separate question of whether the procedure employed to impeach Udegbulem complied with the NBA Uniform Bye-Law.
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