Paul Babatunde Daudu, SAN, in a move hailed as a display of statesmanship but laced with underlying tensions, has accepted the position of Vice-Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL) following a contentious electoral process at the section’s 2025 Annual General Meeting in Uyo. Daudu’s decision, announced in a public statement today, comes despite his initial disqualification from contesting for the Chairman’s role, which he attributes to significant procedural irregularities.
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Daudu, a former National Chairman of the NBA-YLF Forum, ex-NBA Bwari Branch Chairman, and longstanding SPIDEL member, expressed gratitude to section members for their confidence in him but did not shy away from critiquing the election’s conduct. In his statement, he outlined key lapses, including the Electoral Committee’s failure to timely notify disqualified aspirants or publish the list of qualified candidates, as well as the lack of formal reasons for his disqualification, which denied him the right to appeal under fair hearing principles.
“While this was not the position I initially vied for in the election, I have accepted the office in the larger interest of the Section and the Association,” Daudu wrote. “My decision did not come lightly. Indeed, I had considered rejecting the nomination in view of the procedural lapses that attended the electoral process.”
He praised NBA President Afam Osigwe, SAN, for his “timely and decisive intervention” alongside other stakeholders, which averted a potential crisis within SPIDEL. Daudu also thanked supporters who traveled from across Nigeria to back his ambition, urging unity moving forward. “I reaffirm my dedication to serve with dignity, transparency, and fairness, and to work with the newly elected leadership team to reposition SPIDEL for greater relevance, credibility, and impact,” he concluded.
Daudu’s statement quickly ignited a flurry of reactions in legal circles, particularly on professional chats and forums, revealing fractures over the election’s legitimacy. One anonymous lawyer commended Daudu’s “sportsmanship in the interest of a one bar SPIDEL,” calling it a “display of maturity” and affirming his leadership qualities.
However, Kunle Edun, SAN former Electoral Committee Chairman who reportedly resigned prior to the elections pushed back sharply, interpreting Daudu’s mention of “procedural lapses” as a personal indictment. “Learned Silk, I do not understand what you mean by ‘procedural lapses’. You do not think you indicted my person by that statement?” Edun wrote. He emphasized his silence to avoid division, insisting there were no lapses and that Daudu was “in the full know of what transpired from the onset.” Defending his integrity, Edun added, “I do not joke with my integrity. Pls, let us keep to the issues, my brother, and let me be. I hope I will not be compelled to make further rebuttal.”
Daudu promptly responded to Edun, clarifying: “I believe you resigned and it is not a direct indictment of you, my dear brother, or anyone. That was not my intention. I hold you in very high regard. Your reputation and integrity are intact.”
The exchange drew in Barbara Tosan Onwubiko, an elected Treasurer for the section, who weighed in with a candid critique that amplified concerns over the process. Addressing Daudu directly as “my Chair and Learned Silk,” she acknowledged his potential as Chairman but defended the disqualifications of Daudu and another aspirant, Prof. Uju, citing clear guidelines and constitutional provisions.
“Please, my Chair and Learned Silk, I respect you immensely; you are my friend and Chair. However, in all fairness to the Learned Silk Kunle Edun, the guidelines were very clear… As much as I recognise your right to appeal, according to the guidelines, you and Prof were not qualified for obvious reasons,” Onwubiko stated. She described the situation as an “illegality” that would be “recorded in the history of the NBA-SPIDEL and the NBA,” questioning the NBA President’s role and expressing personal disillusionment despite her prior support for Osigwe.
“I have NO DOUBT that you will make an excellent Chairman… Unfortunately, things are as they are,” she continued, lamenting the treatment of Prof. Uju “a remarkable woman… like a mother” and invoking a poignant metaphor: “You cannot beat a child and expect the child not to cry; my own cry was the loudest, especially because someone I regarded as an elder brother and uncle beat me so severely.” Despite her reservations, Onwubiko pledged to advance SPIDEL, having been “properly screened, qualified, and unopposed” for Treasurer.
The episode shows ongoing challenges in NBA sectional elections, where procedural adherence and transparency are perennial flashpoints. SPIDEL, known for championing public interest law, human rights, and development issues, has positioned itself as the “moral compass” of the Bar a vision Daudu echoed in his statement. Yet, the controversy risks overshadowing the new leadership’s agenda, including recent initiatives like reworking police tinted glass policies.
As of this evening, neither the NBA national leadership nor SPIDEL’s outgoing executives have issued formal responses to the public exchanges.
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