A Lagos-based lawyer, Olumide Akpata, has emerged winner of the Nigeria Bar Association presidential election by a landslide victory many lawyers have considered transparent.
Chairman of the Electoral Committee of the NBA, Tawo Tawo (SAN), said Akpata polled 9891 votes accounting for 54.3 per cent of all the votes cast to defeat his closest contender, Dr Babatunde Ajibade (SAN), who scored 4328 votes.
Another SAN, Dele Adesina, finished among the contestestants with 3982.
Akpata does not hold the title of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, making his victory a big surprise to many.
Secretary of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), had earlier written a letter during the electioneering period raising the alarm that young lawyers were about to “revolutionise” the NBA by voting a non-SAN and pleaded with senior lawyers to rise to the occasion and stop the development.
The letter turned counter-productive as many lawyers including SANs disagreed with Awomolo.
Ajibade (SAN), the first runner up in the presidential contest, also dissociated himself from the letter.
The controversial letter pitched many young lawyers against the other two SAN contenders, paving the way for a gallant win of Akpata, the only non-SAN in the race.
However, Adesina has faulted the electoral process and called for its cancellation.
Adesina in a letter to the electoral committee chairman, said many voters did not receive the link to vote.
He described the election as a “sham” and called for its cancellation.
