The Chairman, Chike Onyemenem, SAN and other Executive Committee Members of the Mid-West Bar Forum Have Responded To the statement of some elders of the Forum who dissociated themselves from the elections of the Forum which held at Agbor on the 22nd of December, 2019.

Recall that the statement of the elders who dissociated themselves from the election was signed by some prominent leaders of the Forum including T. J. O. Okpoko, OON, SAN, (Past President of NBA), Augustine Allegeh, SAN (Past President of NBA), Chief Charles Uwensuyi-Edosomwan, SAN (former AG of Edo State), Chief Albert Akpomudje, SAN, FCIArb (Pioneer Chairman of the Forum for almost a decade), Chief Ferdinand Orbih, SAN, (immediate past Chairman of the Forum) and Ama Etuwewe, SAN.

In reaction through a statement signed Chike Onyemenem, SAN and other Members of the newly elected Executive Committee Members, and made available to TheNigeriaLawyer (TNL), the Forum urged its members and the general public to disregard the position of the Elders. That the election was validly held and they have commenced work in earnest already.

Read the full statement below:

MID-WEST BAR FORUM REFUTES FALSE AS FALSE AND UNFOUNDED THE PUBLICATION IN THE ONLINE MEDIA GROUP, THE NIGERIA LAWYER, TO THE EFFECT THAT “ELDERS AND LEADERS OF THE MID-WEST BAR FORUM HAVE DISTANCED THEMSELVES FROM THE ELECTION HELD AT AGBOR”

The attention of the Chairman, Executive Committee Members, Bar Leaders and Elders, The Chairman and members of the 14 Branches of the Nigerian Bar Association that make up the Mid-West Bar Forum (Edo and Delta State lawyers) have been drawn to a blatantly false publication purported to have been authored by five (5) of its Senior Members. For the avoidance of doubt, the truth of what transpired is as follows:

At the last N.B.A. General elections, the 14 Branches of the N.B.A. that make up the Mid-West Bar Forum (without exception) unanimously endorsed and adopted Chief Arthur Obi-Okafor, (S.A.N), (the candidate adopted by the Eastern Bar Forum whose turn it was to produce the NBA President) as their candidate for the said Election; and communicated same in writing to the Mid-West Bar Forum through their respective Branch Chairmen and Secretaries.
The said 14 Branches through their respective Chairmen Subsequently attended the Forum’s Quarterly Meeting at Asaba held on Saturday, 30th June, 2018, where they were called out in a democratic manner by the Chairman of the Forum, Chike Onyemenem, SAN And they unanimously endorsed Chief Arthur Obi-Okafor, SAN as the preferred candidate of their respective Branches: following which the Forum in total deference and respect for the wishes of the 14 Branches that make up the Forum, unanimously adopted Chief Arthur Obi-Okafor, SAN as the Forum’s candidate for the president of NBA at the said 2018 General Election.
The above adoption of Chief Arthur Obi-Okafor, SAN by the 14 Branches and later by the Forum, did not go down well with some powers that be in the Forum who were backing a different candidate, so they unleashed their wrath on the Forum through its then Vice Chairman and Secretary of the Forum, accusing the Chairman of the Forum of in Social Media of instigating the above unanimous adoption of Chief Arthur Obi-Okafor, SAN by the 14 Branches that make up the Forum, having been compromised, resulting in crisis within the Forum’s Executive Committee for the first time.
Two Elders and past Chairmen of the Forum, Chief Albert Akpomudje, SAN And Chief Ferd Orbih, SAN offered to try to resolve the dispute amicably and proceeded to do so at a meeting after a Founding Father and Past President of the NBA, Chief T. J. Okpoko, SAN has addressed the gathering of Branch Chairmen and Senior Members present and left; at the end of which the erring Exco officers were asked to apologize to the Chairman of the Forum, which they did.
When the Communique issue by the above Elders on the next morning of the Quarterly Meeting of the Forum at the Asaba as to how they resolved the dispute was read out to the General House under A. O. B., the members commended the above Elders for their efforts but after deliberating over same, unanimously resolved that the erring Exco members who had apologized to the Law Office of the host for the said meeting should go further to publish retraction of the false and scandalous publication which they made in the Social Media against the Elders of the Forum and its Chairman, failing which they would stand suspended as Exco members.
For the avoidance of doubt, the commendable efforts of the Elders to amicably resolve the dispute within the Exco and their decisions and findings were subject to ratification by the General Assembly or General House which is the highest or Supreme organ of the Forum, and equally, their decisions and findings were not that of the Elders Council, an advisory body made up of the Chairman of the Forum as its head, Past Chairmen of the Forum, Senior Advocates of Nigeria within the Forum, National Officers of the NBA, Branches of the NBA that made up the Forum etc.
Regrettably, the above Resolutions of the 14 Branches of the NBA that make up the Forum with 12 Branch Chairmen in attendance, to further demand that the above erring officers of the Forum retract their scandalous publication, was said to have angered the above Elders of the Forum who saw same as a slight on their authority and influence in the Forum and Chief Ferdinand Orbih, SAN cause to be posted on the Forum’s WhatsApp Group, a message he sent to the Chairman of the Forum, Chike Onyemenem, SAN accusing him of instigating the 14 Branches of the Forum to pass the said Resolution and claiming that he had no respect for them as elders and he vowed that he would never attend the Forum’s Meeting presided over by Chike Onyemenem, SAN.
The Chairman of the Forum approached Chief Albert Akpomudje, SAN and Chief T. J. O. Okpoko, SAN, and apologized to them for whatever he might have done to offend them. But explained to them that he did not and could not have had the wherewithal to instigate 14 Branches of the Forum as the resolution passed by the Branches with 12 Branch Chairmen present, was that of the entire Forum; but the two elders specifically told him that he had not offended them in any way.
At the next Quarterly Meeting of the Forum on the 2nd day of March, 2019, at Asaba, the Forum Constituted an Electoral Committee made up of the three (3) National NBA officers/members of the Forum and two others to conduct an election for new Executive Committee Members of the Forum and also unanimously passed a resolution directing that 2017 – 2019 Exco whose tenure in office was to expire at the end of March, 2019 was to remain in office until the said new Election is conducted.
Thereafter the above same three elders of the Forum wrote a letter to the Chairman of the Forum, inviting him for a meeting to try to resolve a dispute over the suspension of the above Exco members and prayed the Chairman “to put on hold any further meeting of the Forum or any plan to hold elections into offices of the Forum so as to enable them resolve the impasse” over the same matter which the 14 Branches of the Forum had passed a unanimous Resolution on.
Although the suspension of the said whoflouted the unanimous resolution to publish a retraction of their earlier publication, was unanimous, within the 14 Branches voting in favor of same, the Chairman and his Exco decided to defer to the request of the said Elders not to summon any further Meetings of the Forum or not to conduct an election; and after several months of discussion with Chike Onyemenem, SAN And one of the Forum’s Founding Fathers and past president of the NBA, T. J. O. Okpoko, SAN, called on the Chairman of the Forum to summon a meeting of the Forum at Benin-City where he would resolve whatever differences that might exist.
The Chairman and members of the Executive Committee consequently published a Notice of Meeting of the Forum to hold on Friday, 2nd November, 2019, at the NBA Benin Bar Centre, Benin-City with the making of peace, presentation of the Electoral Committee Report and Fixture of a date for the election of a new Executive Committee as part of the Agenda
To the greatest surprise and disbelief of the Chairman of the Forum who presided over the Benin Meeting, the Exco Members and distinguished members of the Forum, Chief T. J. O. Okpoko, SAN who requested the Chairman of the Forum to summon or convene the said meeting at Benin on Friday, 22nd November, 2019 so that he would come after the Valedictory Court Session of the outgoing Chief Judge of Edo State on same date, to make peace, arrived at the venue of the Forum’s meeting at about 2:30pm accompanied by Chief Austin Allegeh, SAN And others and announced that an election was to be held immediately on that day to elect a new Chairman and Executive Committee Members.
The above move generated an uproar and when Chief Okpoko, SAN proposed that it be put to vote as to whether an election should be held on that day or on a subsequent date, the members of the General House unanimously rejected the attempt to hold an election on that same day and foist upon the Forum and its members without any prior notice an undisclosed new Chairman and Executive Committee Members who were unknown to the Members of the Forum and never indicated to the Forum their intention to contest any election.
When the uproar subsided, Chief Okpoko, SAN called for the nomination of a new Electoral Committee to replace the earlier Electoral Committee constituted by the General House at the Forum’s last meeting at Asaba, so a four (4) Electoral Committee was constituted with a rider that the most senior shall act as Chairman and with the Chairman having the casting votez whenever there’s a tie, with a mandate to conduct the Election within Three (3) weeks.
The said four (4) man Committee, described as a “Technical Committee” was never a “Caretaker Committe” as suggested in the meeting by Chief Austin Allegeh, SAN And was so unanimously resolved when the Chairman put the question to the House.
The said 4 Man Electoral Committee constituted at the behest of Chief T. J. O. Okpoko, SAN, Chief Austine Allegeh, SAN and Co, namely Chris Obamigie, Esq, Elvis Okugbo, Esq, Stella Agoha, Esq and Uche Anozie, Esq, commenced work by publishing the Guidelines and date for the Election and calling on interested candidates to pick and fill the prescribed Nomination Forms which they posted on the Mid-West Bar Forum WhatsApp Groups.
Members of the Forum picked the Nomination Forms for various positions, filled and submitted same to the Electoral Committee through the email address provided by the Electoral Committee, with two candidates, namely the incumbent Chairman of the Forum, Chike Onyemenem, SAN and Prof. Nath Inegbedion, as the only candidates for the position of Chairman who submitted their Nomination Forms to Chief T. J. O. Okpoko, SAN Electoral Committee as at close of the Nomination.
As an Election of Executive Committee Members of the Forum is only an Agenda or one of the items in any Forum Meeting, the Chairman and Executive Committee of the Forum who were by the above subsisting unanimous resolution of the Forum, still the incumbent Officers of the Forum whose duty it was to summon or convene a Meeting of the Forum wherein the above fixed Election would be held, following the publication of the above Guidelines and date for the Elections, published a Notice of Meeting of the Mid-West Bar Forum, scheduled to take place at Agbor in Delta State, to be hosted by the NBA Agbor Branch on Saturday, the 21st day of December, 2019, the date fixed for Election by the above 4 man Electoral Committee, just like they earlier posted a similar Notice for the last Meeting of the Forum held at Benin on 22nd November, 2019 and attended by Chief T. J. O Okpoko, SAN, Chief Albert Akpomudje, SAN, Chief Austine Allegeh, SAN and Co.
There was no objection by anybody to the Chief T. J. O. Okpoko, SAN, Electoral Committee’s publication of the Guidelines, date for the Election and call on interested candidates to pick, fill and submit their Nomination Forms.
However, the trouble began once the same Electoral Committee published in its findings, after vetting the submitted Nomination Forms; and it came apparent that Prof. Nath Inegbedion, the preferred candidate of the above few Elders had not attended more than one (1) Meeting of the Forum in the last 5 years; hence was disqualified by the same T. J. O. Okpoko, SAN Electoral Committee for failing to meet one of the requirements for qualification to contest as a candidate as per the earlier published Guidelines and as per the provisions of section 6(vi) & (v) of the Forum’s constitution which makes it mandatory that “a candidate for any office must have been an active member of the Forum for a period of not less than five years immediately preceding the election (and) must have attended at least six meetings of the Forum in the three years preceding the elections”. a publication in the name of Chief T. J. O. Okpoko, SAN was a day before the said Election, posted in all Mid-West Bar Forum WhatsApp Groups, urging the members of the Forum not to attend the said Meeting of the Forum scheduled to take place the following day 21st December, 2019, at Agbor.
The said Chief T. J. O. Okpoko, SAN Electoral Committee swiftly responded by making a publication on the Forum’s WhatsApp Groups urging members to attend the said Meeting fixed for the conduct of the Election at Agbor, as same would hold and they were ready to conduct the election
In spite of the belated efforts to scuttle the holding of the said Meeting and conduct of the Election the following day, 11 out of 14 Branches that make up the Mid-West Bar Forum turned out enmasse at Agbor on Saturday, the 21st day of December, 2019 with an S. A. N. from Edo State, two past Attorneys-General of Edo State, the Benin Branch Members led by their Branch Chairman, the Asaba Branch Members led by their Branch Chairman, the Agbor Branch Members led by their Branch Chairman, the Sapele Branch Members led by their Branch Chairman, the Auchi Branch Members led by their Branch Chairman, the Effurun Branch Members led by their Branch Chairman, the Ughelli Branch Members led by their Branch Chairman, the Ekpoma Branch Members led by their past Branch Chairman, the Oley Branch Members led by their Branch Secretary who delivered the Oley Branch Chairman’s apology as the latter was attending his Traditional Ruler’s Burial; the Warri Branch Members led by their Othadua Okpakpor, Esq, who was elected as the 1st Vice-Chairman of the Forum on that day; with the Igarra Branch Chairman sending in an apology and praying for a hitch-free Election.
BY section 8(4)and (5) and section 12(3) of the Mid-West Bar Forum Constitution, “A quorum for a meeting shall be four (4) branches in attendance…..” and “Decisions at the Meetings shall be by a simple majority…” and “All individuals and member branches shall be bound and none shall deviate from the decisions and resolutions of the Forum in all matters…”
The Agbor Meeting with the unanimous decisions and resolutions passed by the Eleven (11) out of 14 Branches of the Forum present and represented by their Branch Chairmen, Secretaries and past Chairmen, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, a past Attorneys-General and very Senior Members/Bar Leaders has been falsely described in the above regrettable publication of a handful (5) of its Members as a Meeting “rejected by the Elders”.
The Agbor Meeting was a huge success, with the most senior of the three (3) Members of the Chief T. J. O. Okpoko, SAN Electoral Committee present (as agreed at the Benin Meeting). Elvis Okugbo, Esq acting as Chairman of the Committee in the absence of Chris Obamigie, Esq who was absent without any explanation; wherein Chike Onyemenem, SAN and several others were unanimously elected respectively as Chairman of the Forum; Othadua Okpakpor, Esq of NBA Warri Branch as 1st Vice-Chairman as per the practice that the Chairman and 1st Vice-Chairman must be from the same state; Princess Patricia Iyomon of NBA Benin Branch as Secretary, in keeping with Section 4(3) of the Forum’s constitution which says that the Chairman and Secretary of the Forum must not be from the same state; Y. Hambali, Esq of Auchi Branch as Financial Secretary; Ezekiel Okoro, Esq of NBA Sapele Branch as Treasurer; Mr. Rite Okugbo of NBA Benin Branch as Publicity Secretary; Mrs. Philomena Aghede-Ehikwe of NBA Agbor Branch as Welfare Secretary; A.G. Obro, Esq of Ughelli Branch as Assistant Secretary; and Prince Alex Obade of NBA Ekpoma Branch as Assistant Welfare Secretary.
After the above successful and duly conducted Election by the Chief T. J. O. Okpoko, SAN Electoral Committee, Chief H.O. Ogbodu, SAN In keeping with the practice of the Forum administered the oath of office on the newly elected Chairman of the Forum, Chike Onyemenem, SAN and other Members of his Executive Committee just like Chief Austine Allegeh, SAN did in 2017 Election of Chike Onyemenem, SAN and his 2017 – 2019 Executive Committee.
After about two (2) months of the above very peaceful and successful election and inauguration of the Forum’s new Executive committee, with endless congratulatory messages pouring in without a single complaint by ANYBODY, the Executive Committee which had began work in earnest by holding several consultations with Bar Leaders and Elders within the Forum; setting up its first Committee; published a list of two further vital Committees to aid the Executive Committee and the Forum to achieve its goals, particularly the welfare of its members, namely – the 2020 NBA General Elections Committee which one of the Forum’s Founding Fathers, Chief Charles Adoga, SAN graciously agreed to preside over as Chairman, with Chief Ken Mozia, SAN as its 1st alternate Chairman and Chief H.O. Ogbodu, SAN as its 2nd alternate Chairman. AND the Mid-West Bar Forum Conference Committee which Chief Ighodalo Imadebelo, SAN graciously agreed to preside over as its Chairman; to organize the first conference of the Forum since it came into being, with the principal aim of addressing the declining rate of legal practice and the inability of legal practitioners within the Forum, particularly the younger ones, to make ends meet; the members of the Forum were utterly disgusted to discover that the above few Elders of the Forum who tried to scuttle the above Election but were ignored by the entire members of the Forum, had now made the above publication in the Social Media falsely claiming that Chike Onyemenem, SAN usurped the function of the Electoral Committee by publishing Notice of Meeting of the Forum contrary to an agreement reached at Benin and that Chike Onyemenem, SAN should not have contested the election because he openly said “that he was tired”, and that the above Electoral Committee was no longer an Electoral Committee but a “Caretaker Committe” which had taken over the management of the Mid-West Bar Forum and called on the same Committee that conducted the said Agbor Election to conduct a fresh election before they would accept the result.
It is clear from all of the above, starting from the crisis as to who the Mid-West Bar Forum should support for the office of the president of the NBA in 2018 and with the forthcoming 2020 NBA General Election, that all of the storm and whirlwind now being sought to be generated, is all about control of the Mid-West Bar Forum for the purposes of the 2020 NBA General Elections.
While the Members of the great Mid-west Bar Forum in keeping with the age long tradition of the noble profession revere and respect our Elders, there is need for us Elders to strive at all cost, to do what is right, so as to leave a proper legacy behind for the younger ones that will eventually take over from us.
CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the Chairman and Executive Committee Members of the Mid-West Bar Forum, hereby direct all members of the Forum to disregard the above publication and to remain calm, undistracted and united, and we equally call on other Members of the Nigerian Bar Association and members of the public to discountenance the above publication.

SIGNED

CHIKE ONYEMENEM , SAN
(Chairman MWBF)

OTHADUA OKPAKPOR, ESQ
(1st VICE-CHAIRMAN)

PRINCESS PATRICIA IYOMON
(2ND VICE-CHAIRMAN)

MRS. BENEDICTA OKODUWA
(SECRETARY)

EZEKIEL OKORO, ESQ
(TREASURER)

Y. HAMBALI, ESQ
(FINANCIAL SECRETARY)

MRS. RITA OKUGBO
(PUBLICITY SECRETARY)

MRS. PHILOMENA AGHEDE-EHIKWE
(WELFARE SECRETARY)

A.G. OBRO, ESQ
(ASST. SECRETARY)

PRINCE ALEX OBADE
(ASST. WELFARE)