Lately, the media is proliferated with horse-trading and permutations obviously towards the occupation of the exalted Office of President Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and other top positions.

Pictures of some senior lawyers and statements by them indicating interest in one office or the other particularly the office of the president and that of the vice can be seen everywhere. Not only that, fireworks has also began across all social media platforms as the supporters of each candidate are in one way or the other touting their candidate as the messiah of the younger generation of lawyers and a shift in paradigm and on the other hand raising propaganda against other.

This is quite intriguing because the ban on campaign for elective positions in the Nigerian Bar Association NBA has not been lifted yet. The ban as can be seen from the above provision is normally lifted only after the constitution of an Electoral Committee for elections.

It should be noted that campaigns even before lifting of bans did not start today, In the buildup to the 2018 contest, contestants were seen right from 2017 Annual General Conference or even before to be in for one campaign or the other through reservations of hotel and flights to various evening sitouts and hangouts to various clubbing and parley, contestants were already doling out money and continuously oiling the wheels of the media outfits.

Be that as it may, two wrongs do not make a right. The fact that such was done before is not a license for it to continue now. The Nigerian Bar Association is the largest group of legal practitioners in Africa and arguably one of the biggest umbrella body of lawyers in the world. The ongoing frenzy of activities is most unfortunate.

More importantly there is a need for those concern to truly search their conscience as to whether our profession needs these activities. Our colleagues should not make NBA appear like a political party. We are by so doing undermining the legal profession. Instead of us to be model for others, we would become a laughing stock in the eyes of our colleagues in other countries.

We owe a duty to the profession and to the country to obey simple rules. Given that such violation are not obtainable in other professions, our profession deserves better, much better. There ought not to be canvasing of votes until the rules are out and candidates screened and approved.