Bar elections: Mischief-makers threaten voting process

Ahead of the 2017 elections of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Lagos branch, some mischief-makers are threating the success of the voting process or the election which comes up in

According to our source, these meddlers have made attempts to alter the eligibility criteria for voting under the Uniform Bye Laws (UBL) for the purposes of the Lagos Branch elections – after members of the branch voted overwhelmingly to use the 2015 Uniform Byelaws for the conduct of elections to executive positions in the branch must be respected.

It was disclosed that the Executive Committee of the Lagos branch wrote to the President of the NBA asking him to waive the requirement to attend 5 meetings as a criterion for voting.

Whilst the 2003 NBA Bye Laws states that “To be eligible to vote a member shall be a financial member of the Branch, and shall have paid his/her annual dues for at least the current legal year of the election, the NBA 2015 Constitution, Part 1 NBA Uniform Bye Laws (UBL) Section 16(1) provides that a member must have paid Practicing Fees and Branch dues for 2 years as and when due, and attended 5 monthly general meetings of the Branch within 12 months preceding the election. This is the position adopted by the Lagos branch.

It is believed that this move to subvert the law is aimed at defeating the resolution to conduct the NBA Lagos elections under the 2015 UBL passed by an overwhelming majority of members (175 to 75) at the Branch’s Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM), which took place on Wednesday the 28th of June 2017.

Members are of the opinion that if the NBA President, Abubakar Balarabe Mahmoud, SAN grants such a waiver, it will be the beginning of the end of the UBL, as other branches will be forced to follow such a precedence.

A member who spoke on conditions of anonymity said, “This clandestine move to dispense with the attendance of 5 meetings is rather unfortunate because it was clear from the EGM that members were unequivocal about the fact that the 5 meeting attendance prerequisite was a fundamental part of the 2015 Uniform Byelaws and could not be tampered with.

“The motion for abridgement of time was moved and carried by an overwhelming vote of members present at the EGM. Subsequently there was a suggestion that the 5 meeting attendance prerequisite for eligibility to vote at the elections should be suspended but this suggestion was roundly rejected.

“It is considered that this move to tamper with a fundamental provision of the Uniform Byelaws is rather unfortunate. We therefore urge our dear President, AB Mahmoud, SAN, to reject the proposal to reduce the meeting requirement to attendance at 3 meetings for the purpose of this election. It would be unconstitutional to do so and would amount to a deliberate interference with a clear rule of engagement,” he said.