Ahead of the 2023 general election, the president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Yakubu Maikyau, SAN, has said the association will call out and pursue disciplinary action against erring judicial officials participating in the resolution of electoral disputes.
Maikyau said the outcome of the 2023 general election largely depends on the interface between the Bench, the Bar and the political gladiators.
He said the NBA owes Nigerians sincere and honest participation in the process by ensuring that the relevant laws and rules are properly interpreted and applied.
While commending the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the efforts to deliver a free, fair, and credible election, Maikyau charged the electoral body to maintain its independence.
He therefore, declared the Bar’s unequivocal support to help ward off any attempt to undermine the integrity of the electoral process and its neutrality.
“We are on the verge of another general election. Besides the need to guarantee the security of the lives and properties of Nigerians as they troop out to vote in the 2023 general election, the ultimate outcome of the election will largely depend on the interface between the Bench, the Bar and the Political gladiators.
“As members of the Legal Profession, serving either on the Bench or at the Bar, we owe Nigerians sincere and honest participation in the process.”
“We must do all that is legitimately within our abilities, motivated by the desire to serve the course of justice, to ensure that the relevant laws and rules, properly interpreted and applied, remain the guiding principles for our involvement in the process.
“While we shall stand with the Courts and do everything legal to protect the integrity of the Bench against any form of intimidation by the political class, any person or group of persons, we will not hesitate to call out and pursue disciplinary action(s) against erring judicial officials. Similarly, members of the Bar who misconduct themselves while participating in the resolution of electoral disputes will face disciplinary action at the Legal Practitioners’ Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) and the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC), where Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) are involved.
“I commend the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for all that it is doing to deliver a free, fair, and credible election to Nigerians. I charge INEC to maintain its independence as we unequivocally, as a Bar, declare our support to help ward off any attempt to undermine the integrity of the electoral process and neutrality of INEC.
“In this regard, my attention was drawn to a social media publication that the Nigerian Bar Association in Akwa Ibom State had endorsed a candidate in the forthcoming election. I took time to verify the information and I have confirmation that this indeed took place. I want to say in no unclear terms that we condemn the action of the few members who embarked on such despicable and disgraceful conduct using the platform of the NBA.
“That declaration was not made for or with the authority of the NBA. It is disgusting and I have already instructed the First Vice President NBA who is leading the NBA Election Monitoring Group, to immediately exclude all the branches of the NBA in Akwa Ibom State from participating in the monitoring of the forthcoming election.
“This exclusion will be communicated to INEC forthwith and members involved in this conduct will also face disciplinary action as may be determined by the NBA. NBA is not partisan; we are not a political party, we are representatives of the people, we remain neutral and must be seen to maintain our neutrality at all times – we belong to everyone and to nobody.
“I also thank INEC for extending the deadline for the collection of PVCs which was a clear indication of its readiness and willingness to give every eligible Nigerian the opportunity to exercise his/her franchise. I wrote a letter in this respect based on the report by one of our Senior Counsels, Ms F. Boma Ayomide Alabi, SAN, which I adopted as the NBA position and had discussions with Mr. Festus Okoye, who assured me that the complaints were being considered, I was therefore not surprised at the intervention by INEC,” he said.
