NBA 2020 DECIDES: Adesina Ogunlana Drags ECNBA To Court, Prays To Be Re-instated As NBA Presidential Candidate

*Asks Court To Restrain ECNBA From Conducting Elections

The embattled presidential candidate of the NBA 2020 general elections, Adesina Ogunlana has instituted a legal battle against the Election Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association(ECNBA), for disqualifying him from the race.

In the suit which was filed at the High Court of Lagos State remarked, 10/4015 GCM/2020, Ogunlana is asking the Court to direct the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) to reinstate him as a Presidential candidate in the forthcoming NBA National Elections. 

In the Court papers which were sighted by the TheNigeriaLawyer, Mr. Ogunlana by a Motion on Notice seeks for interlocutory injunctions amongst others.

“AN INTERLOCUTORY ORDER OF THIS HONOURABLE COURT directing and compelling the Defendants, to include the name of the Claimant/ Applicant in the list of candidates to contest for the Office of the President of the Nigerian Bar Association in the 2020 National Officers’ Elections and allowing same to contest pending the determination of the Motion on Notice in this matter.”

“OR ALTERNATIVELY

“AN ORDER OF injunction, restraining the Defendants from conducting elections into the office of the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, without including the name of the Claimant as a candidate on the 29th and 30th July, 2020 or on any other date pending the determination of the Motion on Notice in the matter.”

“AND FOR SUCH FURTHER OTHER ORDERS as this Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the present circumstances.”

However, the grounds for his applications are that:

“i)The 4th and 5th Defendants/respondents’ electoral body, the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) claimed to have disqualified the claimant contesting the election because his Nomination Forms did not include a letter of Good Standing from the 6th defendant, the then Chairman of his branch, the Ikeja Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association as required by the constitution of the Nigerian Bar Association.

ii) The claimant brought an Appeal based on the objection raised by the 4th and 5th Defendants as stated earlier above in paragraph 1 but his appeal was dismissed based on a completely different issue, and which is applicable to the appeal or case of the claimant.

iii) The ground of dismissing the Appeal founded in section 8(3)(c) of the NBA Constitution 2015(as amended) vis-a-vis the issue raised and the absence of any evidence to show that the report of the insurance committee if Ikeja Branch of NBA has been set aside “is disjointed from the ground of Appeal itself, which is based on the Appeal against disqualification for absence of letter of Good Standing in the Nomination packet of the Claimant/Applicant.

iV) The Claimant /Applicant will suffer irreparable loss if this honourable court declines the order sought.”

Meanwhile, the Respondents in the suit are INCORPORATED TRUSTEES OF NIGERIA BAR ASSOCIATION; MR. PAUL USORO SAN( President of the Nigerian bar Association); Mr. JONATHAN TAIDI (General secretary, Nigeria Bar Association); PROFESSOR TAWO TAWO SAN, Chairman, Electoral Commission of the Nigerian Bar Association. (For himself and on behalf of the members of the electoral committee of the Nigerian Bar Association); CORDELIA EKE, ESQ ( secretary of the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association) and DELE OLOKE, ESQ (immediate past chairman of the Ikeja branch of Nigerian Bar Association).