Alegeh Emerges NBA President

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Tuesday elected Mr. Augustine Alegeh (SAN) as its President having polled a simple majority of the votes cast.

Alegeh, who is of the Benin Branch of the NBA, polled 691, beating his closest rival, Chief Dele Adesina (SAN), who got 370 votes.

The only female candidate in the race, Mrs. Olufunke Adekoya (SAN), polled an impressive 255 votes while Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN) and Mr. Osas Erhabor polled 126 and 17 votes respectively.

There is no word yet from any of the candidates whether or not they will challenge the result even though there are several complaints yet to be made official.

The Guardian observed that this year’s election witnessed a robust campaign on social media and phones through text messages by which candidates sought to sell themselves and unfold their agenda for the Bar if elected.

The President-elect, Alegeh, blazed the trail in using text messages to campaign. “I shall seek constitutional amendment to introduce electronic at NBA national elections”, he pledged.

Many will be eager to hold him to that pledge and scrutinise its workability because the controversies that greeted the regular voting process which turned out his predecessor and out-going President, Okey Wali (SAN), still remains fresh with alleged claims that dead lawyers were made to vote.

The first runners up, Adesina, focused his campaign on welfare of members and professionalism.

“Great people are extraordinary people with extraordinary determination. We invite you to share our extraordinary determination to change the face of the Bar and legal practice in Nigeria. Vote Dele Adesina for President”, the campaign office wrote in a widely circulated text message.

For Mrs. Adekoya, who came second runner up, her campaign was tailored centrally on integrity and service as she promised to bring them to bear on her presidency if elected. However, she scored a masterstroke when she announced that she would be putting off her campaign for 12 hours to honour her departed colleagues, Bamidele Aturu and others.

“In deference to late activist, Bamidele Aturu and other deceased colleagues, including but not limited to Chief Olloh of Warri Branch, I, Funke Adekoya (SAN), hereby suspend campaign messages for 12 hours”, she wrote.

Although she did not win at the poll, it is believed that gesture won her many admirers.

Alegeh now has the onerous task of reaching out to other candidates, mending fences and bracing up to the ever-increasing challenges of steering the Bar in the right direction, especially in areas of electoral reform.

The President-elect will be well guided by the enunciation of Chairman, Governing Council of the National Human Rights Commission, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, who stated thus: “The mechanism for electing leadership of the NBA are outdated, scandal-prone and liable to whimsical capture. 

The question is not whether to change them, but how quickly and how deeply. The answer to this is: not soon enough. The pay-offs for such reforms will be far-reaching. They will transform the way we govern our Bar, give the Bar greater legitimacy in monitoring public affairs and ensure better revenue for the NBA. 

Above all, they will herald a more transparent, professional, efficient and fully inclusive Bar.”

Courtesy of: dailytimesng