The Young Lawyers for Democracy have rejected the suit recently filed by Egbe Amofin O’odua asking a court to compel the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to recognise only one candidate for the office of President in the forthcoming NBA elections.
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In a statement signed by the Director General, Isa Tochukwu, Esq., the group described the development as “deeply troubling” and called on Aare Muyiwa Akinboro, SAN, to immediately and publicly dissociate himself from the action.
The group stated that at a time when the legal profession should be strengthening democratic participation within its own ranks, it is disturbing that a regional association of lawyers would approach the court seeking to narrow the presidential contest of the Nigerian Bar Association to a single individual.
“Such a move strikes at the very heart of the democratic culture that the Bar has painstakingly built over the years,” the statement read.
“The Nigerian Bar Association belongs to all lawyers. It is not the property of any caucus, ethnic bloc, or political tendency. Its leadership must emerge from a process that gives every qualified candidate the opportunity to contest and every eligible lawyer the opportunity to vote.”
The Young Lawyers for Democracy described the attempt by Egbe Amofin to restrict the process through litigation as not merely unfortunate but “a direct challenge to the democratic foundation of the NBA.”
“To approach the court seeking an order that would compel the NBA to recognise only the candidate presented by Egbe Amofin is, in effect, to ask the court to replace the will of thousands of lawyers with the preference of a single group. That is not democracy. It is an attempt at imposition,” the statement added.
The group reminded the Bar that it did not always enjoy the broad democratic participation it has today.
“For many years, the process of choosing leaders was dominated by small circles of influence and closed-door arrangements. That culture was decisively broken during the administration of Augustine Alegeh, SAN, when universal suffrage was introduced into the NBA electoral system,” the statement noted.
“That reform transformed the Bar. It shifted the power to determine leadership away from caucuses and placed it squarely in the hands of members of the Association. For the first time, young lawyers across the country could participate meaningfully in choosing the leaders of their profession.
“It is this democratic gain that the present lawsuit now threatens to undermine.”
The Young Lawyers for Democracy called on Aare Muyiwa Akinboro, who is positioned to be the intended beneficiary of the suit, to immediately and publicly dissociate himself from the action.
“Leadership that seeks legitimacy must be willing to face the test of open competition. A candidate who believes in his capacity to lead the Bar should welcome the opportunity to present himself before the electorate of lawyers, not rely on court orders that attempt to eliminate competitors before the race even begins,” the statement read.
The group warned that silence from Akinboro would be interpreted as consent.
“For that reason, we make our position clear: unless Aare Muyiwa Akinboro, SAN openly condemns and distances himself from this lawsuit, young lawyers across the country will find it difficult to support him or any candidate associated with efforts to undermine the voting rights of members of the Bar,” the statement declared.
The Young Lawyers for Democracy issued a stern warning that they would mobilise young lawyers across the federation to vote against Akinboro if he fails to dissociate from the lawsuit.
“As a matter of fact, we will not hesitate to mobilize young lawyers across the federation to massively vote against him even if that is the only thing we can do to safeguard our right to choose leaders in the profession,” the group stated.
The statement emphasised that young lawyers form the largest constituency within the Nigerian Bar Association and are stakeholders, not spectators, in the future of the profession.
“Our votes matter, and our right to choose our leaders cannot be negotiated away in a courtroom,” the group stated.
“The NBA must remain a place where leadership is earned through ideas, integrity, and the confidence of members, not through litigation designed to shrink the democratic space.
“Universal suffrage in the NBA was hard won. We will not stand by while anyone attempts to roll it back.
“We will defend our vote. And we will defend our right to choose our leaders.”
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