Peace Be Still’: Banji Alabi Calls for Calm After NBA Election

Peace Be Still’: Banji Alabi Calls for Calm After NBA Election

…..Says NBA Constitution Provides Clear Path for Election Petitions..

The immediate past Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Akure Branch, Banji Alabi, Esq., has called for calm in the wake of concerns arising from the association’s recent election, urging all aggrieved participants to channel their grievances through the constitutional appeal process rather than resorting to actions capable of undermining the integrity of the Bar.

In a statement released to Our Heritage Reporter online titled “Peace Be Still,” Alabi stressed that the NBA Constitution provides a clear and legitimate avenue for challenging election outcomes through the Appeal Panel, insisting that only those with credible grounds should file petitions in accordance with the association’s established procedures.

He warned against actions that could create unnecessary tension or erode confidence in the legal profession, emphasizing that respect for due process and the rule of law remains fundamental to the credibility and stability of the Nigerian Bar Association

Full statement reads: 

The Constitution of the Nigerian Bar Association provides clear opportunities for redress after the election. Please follow due process and file your petition before the Appeal Panel if you have credible grounds.

Do not cause chaos. Do not destroy the edifice we are all trying to build.

As Lord Denning MR cautioned: “Be you ever so high, the law is above you.”_ The law, in this case, is the NBA Constitution. It binds winners and losers alike.

Justice Chukwudifu Oputa of the Supreme Court also reminded us: “Justice is not a one-way traffic. It is not justice for the appellant only. Justice is not even only a two-way traffic. It is really a three-way traffic — justice for the appellant, justice for the respondent, and justice for the society.”_

The society here is the Bar. And justice for the Bar demands that we test our grievances through the tribunals the Constitution created, not through self-help or calls for cancellation.

Let us preserve the Bar. Follow the law. File your petition. Make your case.

That is how credible institutions are built.

Banji Alabi, Esq.