*Members File Impeachment Motion Against Chairman, Demand Audited Account And Handover
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Financial members of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mbano/Etiti Branch, have initiated a formal move to remove the Branch Chairman, Chief K.C. Nwokorie, Esq., over allegations concerning the expenditure of part of a ₦50 million grant donated by the Imo State Government.
The motion, brought by Chief R.O. Anyanwu, Esq., on behalf of other financial members of the Branch, seeks Nwokorie’s removal and impeachment for alleged gross misconduct, financial impropriety and breach of trust.
It is expressed to have been brought pursuant to Article 12 and other relevant provisions of the NBA Uniform Bye-Laws for Branches, as well as what the proponents describe as the inherent powers of the Branch General Meeting.
The motion is scheduled to be moved at the Branch’s November 2026 Ordinary Monthly General Meeting fixed for Saturday, November 14, 2026, at the Branch Bar Centre by 12.30 p.m.
The documents are dated October 21, 2026, and, according to the account accompanying them, were served on the Branch Secretary, Ifeanyi Chukwuocha, on October 22.
At the centre of the dispute is a ₦50 million grant said to have been released by the Imo State Government to the Branch to support members attending the 2026 Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
According to the motion and accompanying written address, 35 financial members of the Branch registered for the conference.
The proponents said the General Meeting subsequently resolved that ₦1 million should be paid to each of the 35 registered conferees, amounting to ₦35 million, while the balance should be preserved for capital improvements at the Branch Bar Centre.
They further maintain that the General House resolved that a dedicated project committee should be constituted to supervise and execute the proposed improvements transparently.
The motion alleges, however, that Nwokorie proceeded to undertake landscaping works at the Bar Centre without obtaining prior approval from the General Meeting or allowing the proposed project committee to supervise the expenditure.
The members are consequently asking the General Meeting to declare that the Chairman committed “gross misconduct, financial impropriety, and breach of trust by unilaterally disbursing and expending part of the balance of ₦50,000,000.00 grant donated by the Imo State Government for the Annual General Conference, without prior authorization, budgetary approval, or consent of the General Meeting.”
The allegations remain claims contained in the impeachment motion and have not been determined by the Branch General Meeting.
The proponents also accuse the Chairman of assuming functions which, they contend, should have been exercised by the project committee authorised by the General House.
According to the motion, Nwokorie allegedly acted as the person approving, managing and executing the capital expenditure without the checks and balances which the members say should ordinarily apply to the management of Branch funds.
They argue that an officer should not simultaneously act as sole approving authority, project manager and arbiter of expenditure involving public or Branch funds.
A further ground for the impeachment move concerns an alleged exchange at the September 2026 Ordinary Monthly General Meeting.
The motion claims that when Nwokorie was confronted over the landscaping expenditure and asked to explain the project, he allegedly stated that “no one will direct him on what to do” and that he would account for the money spent at a later date.
The proponents contend that the alleged statement amounted to a repudiation of the authority of the General Meeting and breached the constitutional structure governing the administration of NBA branches.
They are asking the House to declare that such alleged defiance constitutes insubordination and a violation of Article 12(3) and (5) of the NBA Uniform Bye-Laws for Branches.
Article 12(3), as reproduced in the written address accompanying the motion, provides:
“No expenditure shall be incurred or disbursed out of the funds of the Branch except as provided for in the approved Budget of the Branch or as specifically authorized by a resolution of the General Meeting.”
The proponents argue that the crucial requirement is that expenditure must be specifically authorised before funds are spent.
According to them, although the General House approved the use of the remaining grant for improvements to the Bar Centre, the resolution envisaged that a project committee would be established to oversee and execute the work.
They maintain that no separate authorisation was given to the Chairman to personally undertake the landscaping project or act as its sole project manager, contractor or approving authority.
The written address also relies on Article 12(5), which it reproduces as providing:
“Any officer who expends, disburses, or applies Branch funds, donations, or grants contrary to the approval or direction of the General Meeting, or who fails to account for such funds, commits gross misconduct and shall be subject to disciplinary proceedings, surcharge, and removal from office.”
Relying on that provision, the proponents contend that spending Branch funds contrary to the direction or approval of the General Meeting constitutes gross misconduct capable of attracting disciplinary proceedings and removal from office.
They are therefore asking financial members present and voting at the November meeting to remove Nwokorie from office through the requisite two-thirds majority.
If the motion succeeds, the members are asking that the Vice-Chairman immediately assume office as Acting Chairman of the NBA Mbano/Etiti Branch.
They are also seeking an order directing Nwokorie to provide a comprehensive and audited account of all receipts and disbursements relating to the ₦50 million grant.
The motion specifically refers to what it describes as “the over ₦2 million outstanding balance in the account” and asks that the Chairman account for the money alongside all other receipts and expenditure relating to the grant.
The proponents further seek an order directing him to hand over all Branch property, documents and assets in his possession to the Executive Committee within seven days if the removal motion is passed.
Beyond the financial allegations, the written address places considerable emphasis on the authority of the Branch General Meeting.
It argues that “the General Meeting is the supreme governing body of the Branch” and that elected officers, including the Chairman, exercise authority delegated to them by the General House.
According to the proponents, an elected officer cannot claim immunity from the decisions of the body that elected him.
They contend that by allegedly undertaking the project personally and proposing to account for the expenditure afterwards, the Chairman effectively made himself approving authority, executor and reviewer of his own spending.
The written address links that argument to the principle of natural justice expressed in the maxim nemo judex in causa sua — that a person should not be a judge in his own cause as well as broader principles of financial accountability and corporate governance.
The proponents maintain that where an officer allegedly disregards mandatory financial controls and repudiates the authority of the General Meeting, the House possesses the power under the Uniform Bye-Laws to remove the officer by a two-thirds majority of financial members present and voting.
The motion was signed by Chief R.O. Anyanwu, Esq., as mover and counsel, and is said to have been seconded by seven other members whose names appear in handwriting on the documents alongside their Supreme Court enrolment numbers.
The motion is addressed for service on Chief K.C. Nwokorie, Esq., in his capacity as Chairman of the NBA Mbano/Etiti Branch.
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