Ikorodu Bar Fixes 8TH June for Its Elections
It would be recalled that 5 members of NBA Ikorodu Branch contesting for various positions in the fourth coming branch elections had petitioned the National Body without first appealing to the Branch Electoral committee with their complaints and based on their petition the General Secretary wrote a letter to the Branch Chairman instructing the Branch Chairman not to take any further steps towards conducting elections in the Branch.
We were informed that the Branch Chairman; Mr. Levi Adikwaone heeded to the instructions of the General Secretary and instructed the Electoral Committee to respond to the request made by the General Secretary for details of the screening exercise which they did. Questions were however raised by branch members and others as to the powers of the General Secretary to write such a letter to the Branch halting a branch’s electoral process. Notwithstanding; the General Secretary sent a message to the Branch members through its chairman that he would be visiting the Branch on Monday the 4th of June 2018.
Our source informs us that many members left their work and court appointment and where seated by 10.30am at the NBA Ikorodu Bar Center to welcome the General Secretary on Monday the 4th of June but he never showed up. The situation was explained to the members present as they were asked what they wanted to do now that the General Secretary did not show up neither was there a letter from him retracting his instructions not to hold branch elections.
A member of the Branch then moved a motion to the effect that the Elections should proceed since the Branch had given the General Secretary enough time to act and time was running out within which the Branch was constitutionally bound to hold elections. The motion was seconded. A counter motion was raised by one of the Petitioners and the matter was put to a vote. 40 members voted in support of holding elections while 5 voted against it. The Chairmen went ahead to convene an Executive Council Meeting to ratify the decision of the members which they did. The electoral committee was then asked how soon they could hold elections, the chairman of the electoral committee announced that the elections will now hold on the 8th of June 2018.
There are two candidates contesting for the position of chairman of the branch. Bayo Akinlade, the National Convener of FIACIJ and Mrs. Bolatito Babasola, the current treasurer of the Branch. It is alleged by some of the disqualified candidates that petitioned the National body that the Electoral Committee favours Mr. Bayo Akinlade but many members are shocked as there are 2 candidates to choose from and Mr. Akinlade is not running unopposed.
All is still not well at the Branch as a certain disqualified candidate for the position of the Chairman one Mr. I.K Thany is bent on disrupting the elections and doing all that he can to have the Electoral Committee and Mr. Akinlade disqualified. The said Mr. Thany was disqualified because he held 2 consecutive positions in the Branch and the last position he held was in 2014. The said Mr. Thany also only started attending the branch meetings again late last year and has no positive track record within the Branch. Many are concerned that the NBA should not be used to further personal agendas as people like Mr. Thany try to take advantage of member’s apathy towards the NBA to gain personal advantages. Mr. Thany was said to have spent over Five Hundred Thousand Naira paying branch dues and Bar Practicing fees for members and his disqualification came as a rude shock to him. He is now doing all he can to ensure that he scuttles the process to make room for his reemergence.
The Branch members; by their vote to continue with elections; despite the antics of some former chairmen supporting Mr. Thany and self-imposed king makers, sent a strong signal that the majority will prevail and the process will be democratic. The Members are appealing to the National body not to interfere with their internal electoral matters as there are laid down procedures governing such interventions.
Our Source was very concerned as he said he overheard a former chairman tell the current chairman that the elections will not hold as agreed by members on the said 8th of June and wondered why there was so much fuss as to who becomes chairman if the intent was to serve. The Source also showed concern as to why a former chairman and some other past 2 chairmen where still trying to control the minds of members by peddling false and malicious information to deceive the members.
Mr. Akinlade has since confirmed what has been going on in his branch and his saddened by the behavior of some of his colleagues. Mr. Akinlade noted that all he tries to do is to help his colleagues through his FIACIJ program and feels that his position as chairman would further enhance the image of NBA as an institution that abhors Corruption and injustice. He further states that he hopes for unity in his branch so that they can face the real enemy that daily confronts lawyers such as corruption in the Judiciary, Police brutality against lawyers, dwindling income of lawyers, fake lawyers and touts.
Another Source told us that the members of the Branch will want members of the Judiciary, NGOs, the Press and other personalities to come and observe the Elections on the 8th of June. When asked about the venue of the elections; he noted that the Electoral Committee will release all relevant details just before Election Day but that all those interested may convene at the High Court of Ikorodu from 10am on the 8th of June 2018
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