The Board of the Law Students’ Association of Nigeria (LAWSAN) has nullified the Election and Convention, which purportedly produced Michael Arinze and other persons parading themselves as an executive, senate and appointees of the Association.

The Secretary to the Board of LAWSAN, Mohammed Kime, who disclosed this in a statement in Abuja, said that a new timetable for election to the National Executive Council and Legislative Arm of LAWSAN shall be released before the 20th of December 2021.

Kime also disclosed that the Board suspended one of its members, Emmanuel Nwobodo, over his failure and refusal to appear before a disciplinary committee set up to investigate a petition against him.

According to him, the actions of the Board followed resolutions reached at its inaugural meeting held on December 2, 2021, in Abuja.

Those present at the meeting, according to the statement, include Blessing Agbomhere, Mohammed Kime, Zainab Mukhtar, Sowari Dikibo, Dhikrullah Olarinoye and Ibrahim Ibrahim.

For the purpose of accountability and transparency, according to Kime, the Board resolved to open a “Corporate Account in the name of LAWSAN in any reputable and youth-friendly Nigerian Bank to receive all gifts and donations to the Association.”

He added that a fundraising dinner to generate resources for the Association shall be held on or before 30th of December 2021.

He said the Board also resolved that 30th day of November of every year shall be the official anniversary date of LAWSAN.

The Board, according to him, noted that LAWSAN is open to all students studying law in Nigerian Accredited Universities.

He said the Board insisted that membership of LAWSAN is based on compliance with the LAWSAN Identification Law, saying “LAWSAN Identification Law is hereby adopted and ratified.”

He said the LAWSAN Board further resolved that “activities of the Association shall be monitored and supervised by the Board and any activity carried out in the name or on behalf of the Association that is not consented to or ratified by the Board amounts to imposture and such a person or persons involved shall be prosecuted in accordance with extant applicable laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

*As President Says Registration Not In Line With The Constitution

*Says Blessing Agbomere Not Her Member.

While reacting to the report on the alleged Nullification of LAWSAN Election Of Executive, Others, the current President Sen. Michael Arinze has disassociated itself from the purported registration of the body with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

Arinze in a statement expressed dissatisfaction with the destructive approach of Blessings Agbomere a former president of the Association who was impeached for his gross misconduct and his cohorts who are bent on bringing the Association to disrepute.

The statement noted “The fact is that Blessing Agbomere secured the registration of the Association by FRAUD and MISREPRESENTATION of fact”

“He singlehandedly manufactured a constitution for himself quite different from the recognized LAWSAN CONSTITUTION, proceeded to the CAC and submitted himself as the alter ego of the Association together with few other butt lickers of his, to secure registration for the association”

“Even when there was a petition from the Caretaker Committee of LAWSAN to the CAC to the effect that the ongoing registration was carried on by persons who has no authority to do so, CAC proceeded to approve the registration”

“Assuming but not conceding that the registration was regular at the time of it’s commencement, the process ought to have been paused with the impeachment of Agbomere as the LAWSAN President. A petition to this effect was submitted to the CAC but the CAC did not heed this advice”

“Agbomere, not being a member of LAWSAN under ANY category of its membership, cannot purport to be the alter ego of an Association whose membership is open to undergraduate students of Law. It’s elementary law that one cannot place something on nothing and expect it to stand”

It further noted that the said Agbomere is NOT, at present, a Law Student of any known university in the world. However, he crowned himself king and purports to rule over law students in Nigeria.

It may interest you to know that the said Blessing Agbomere had on Tuesday, the 2nd of December constituted a Board of Trustees after single handedly registering the body with CAC, named himself the Chairman and one Muhammed Kime as the Secretary. This act which is deemed unconstitutional, is in no doubt set to achieve selfish purposes and to trade with the Body.

I Never Used LAWSAN To Enrich Myself – Ex-LAWSAN President, Emmanuel Nwobodo, Reacts To Suspension As BOT Member

*Says The Allegation I’d Laughable
*Says He Will Seek Remedy Against The Libelous Statement

While, the former President, Emmanuel Nwobodo reacting to the allegations against him by Kime denied using LAWSAN money to enrich himself.

Read his letter below:

PURPORTED REGISTRATION OF LAW STUDENTS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA; THE POSITION OF EMMANUEL NWOBODO, FORMER NATIONAL PRESIDENT, LAW STUDENTS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA.

The above subject matter refers, please.

INTRODUCTION
1. My attention has been drawn to some unfortunate and despicable publications making rounds with respect to the constitution of LAWSAN and an alleged formation of a board of trustees(hereinafter referred to as BOT) for the Association with my name on the list of trustees.

2. Ordinarily, LAWSANITES are not supposed to be doubly-worried by pieces of rumours that do not hold weight in the light of the overwhelming pedigree of my person: at the same time, while the above may be correct, I must loosely add that LAWSANITES truly deserve an answer. No single one person is bigger than LAWSAN, which is why I will, through this publication, reaffirm my true loyalty to LAWSAN. Thus, my beloved LAWSANITES, I remain loyal.

3. Before delving further, I must strongly condemn the malicious and unjustified use of propaganda to try to lure out a dark side of my person. Many have urged me to react adversarially but that will prove those who want to divide us correct and install in the minds of LAWSANITES new doubts as to what I represent. At all times, fire can only be quenched with water.

FACTUAL CHRONOLOGY
4. As the 3rd National Executive President of the Law Students’ Association of Nigeria (LAWSAN), when I was informed during the inceptive days of the Blessing Agbomhere led administration of plans to get the Association duly registered under the CAC, and also to supposedly provide counsel on how the Board of the registered Association should be constituted, I endorsed the registration and firmly and unequivocally counselled him that with due consideration to the growth history of the Association and the contributions of the founding fathers to the evolvement of the LAWSAN we have now, the Board should appropriately constitute of the founding fathers, past presidents of the Association well deserving law students with painstaking attention to federal character and a track record of service. My position on that has still not changed.

5. Sometime in October, I was hinted at the list of members of the BOT as published on the official gazette. I immediately expressed my unreserved dissatisfaction with the constitution of the BOT as it did not in any way reflect the values of our Association, nor did it recognize the sacrifices made by key founding members in strengthening the foundational blocks of the Association, despite the inclusion of my name.

6. I further instructed for an amendment of the list to include persons who satisfy the criteria earlier stated or a total removal of my name from the list as I figured, was an affront to the position I earlier stated in the last line of paragraph 4 of this publication. My reservations were made via a phone call.

PURPORTED SUSPENSION FROM THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
7. It will come as no surprise that as expected, perceiving that I was going to come out to rebut my membership of said BOT formation, a publication from the supposed chairman of the BOT had me suspended. Well, my stands have flowed beautifully to this point. I am unwavering in my commitment to the Association. I stand against no one, and I stand with everyone. The voice of the majority is the voice of reason, and even the majority of LAWSANITES say that the BOT should be reconfigured, or that the BOT is struck out from the pages of LAWSAN as an association, then that is what should be.

8. I’m glad that the administration of LAWSAN is taking quick steps to remedy this quagmire which is why I enjoin everyone to remain calm and law-abiding. We will once again pull through this phase. We have as an association, overcome mightier issues, and this will go down with its sister issues we have handled in the past.

FALSE ACCUSATIONS AGAINST MY PERSON  
9. Finally, my attention was also drawn to a publication that accused me of using LAWSAN as a means of enriching my pockets. That accusation is at best laughable and at worst, condemnable. This is not the first time such a person has made exorbitant statements about others, not caring about the consquences of such misguided statements.  He has also recruited disciples to aid him in the sojourn of putting question marks on a reputation that took me years to build. Our financial records at LAWSAN were awash with accountability and probity. We defended all the monies gotten through the association to the last dime. Thankfully, my administration worked with the best minds, and my assailants can equally testify to the honesty that our administration preached and practised. I consider the statements of Blessing Agbomere published on the Nigerian Lawyer Blog libelous and the facts will, if care is not taken and due measures taken to retract them, be determined in a competent court. I can accept reservations, criticisms and all, but statements that attempt to overwhelm my integrity will never be treated loosely.

10. I wish to spare a moment to apologise to LAWSANITES whom till today blame me for having preceeded an administration that did nothing to act in the interest of LAWSANITES. I have continued to work hard to strike out the vestiges of such administration from the good records of our great association. It is this fight that has brought them with vipers and scorpions to my doorstep but like I promised, I will not be discouraged. We will all not be discouraged. LAWSAN is bigger than you, me, them, and all.

God bless you all!

Emmanuel E. Nwobodo
Pioneer President,
Federation of African Law Students(FALAS)

cc:
1. The Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice
2. The Registrar of The Corporate Affairs Commission
3. The President, Nigerian Bar Association
4. National President, LAWSAN

December 6th, 2021
For Press & Public Relations