Court lambasts NBA over leadership tussle

An Abuja High Court has criticised the Ni­gerian Bar Association over its recent action in the leadership crisis rocking the Abuja Branch of the associa­tion.

The current Chairman of Abuja NBA branch, Mr. Ez­enwa Anumnu, had dragged the President of NBA, Abuba­kar Mahmoud (SAN) and its entire leadership before Justice U.P Kekemeke of the FCT High Court at Apo over dispute in the Abuja Bar lead­ership.

Having entered appearance in the suit, the NBA National Executive Committee report­edly met in Aba, Abia State on March 2, 2017 and allegedly removed Anumnu and his exco members.

Irked by the action of the NBA NEC upon hearing, Mr. Tolu Baba, counsel to Anum­nu, who prayed the court for an order of the court that par­ties stay further in the matter pending the determination of the substantive, the presiding judge, Justice Peter Kekemeke in a ruling he delivered on March 8, wondered why the NBA as a body of law could continue to disobey a lawful court order.

Following the no-objec­tion submission to the plain­tiff’s application by Mr. Mo­sud Alabeleye, consequently, the judge ordered all parties to stay action in the matter.

“All parties should please stay action if NBA as a body of law can continue to disobey court’s order, then we are the ones encouraging and advis­ing the politicians to dis­obey our orders; this simply means using our hands to pull down our structures that we have laboured to build for many years, God forbid.

“The court being satisfied that there is merit in the ap­plication, it is hereby ordered that all parties should stay action in this matter pend­ing the determination of the substantive suit”, Justice Kekemeke said.

Subsequently, the case was adjourned till March 30 for the hearing of various ap­plications.

Meanwhile, Anumnu in a press statement, said NBA NEC lacks the constitutional power to take a decision on a matter that had been decid­ed by the NBA Annual Gen­eral Meeting, saying, “The Annual General Meeting of the NBA ratified my Chair­manship in Port Harcourt.”

Credit: Authority Newspapers