A disqualified Chairmanship candidate in the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Abuja branch election Mr. Christopher Areghan Eichie has filed an action in court seeking to restrain the Electoral Committee from proceeding with the election which is scheduled to hold on Monday, 11th June, 2018,
In an Originating Summons with Suit No. CV/2052/18 filed at the High Court of the Federal Capital Abuja, Mr. Christopher is praying the court to interpret the provisions of the NBA 2015 Election as it relates to his eligibility to contest and hold an office in the branch. Filed along side the originating summons is a Motion Ex-parte seeking to restrain the Branch Electoral Committee from proceeding with the scheduled election pending the determination of the motion on notice.
DNL Legal and Style exclusively gathered from a reliable source that the build up to the pending suit was the disqualification of the Claimant by the Eddy Mark led Electoral Committee on the ground that he has held office twice under the 2015 constitutional regime.
Our source stated that this was not correct as the Claimant only held office once under the 2015 Constitution. He noted that after the Branch’s Electoral Committee published names of disqualified candidates, the Claimant appealed and made it clear to the committee that their interpretation of the provision of the Constitution of the Association was wrong and that he has only held office once under the 2015 constitution.
According to our source, the Committee gave a retrospective interpretation to the provision of the constitution which forbids anyone who has held office twice under the constitution from contesting or holding any office anymore which is not the case with the Claimant.
We were also told that the fact of the pendency of the suit which has 5 defendants including the Incorporated Trustees of the NBA, the Chairman and Secretary of the Electoral Committee and the NBA Abuja branch has been brought to the attention of the Electoral Body and all the Defendants via a letter forwarding an advanced copy of the originating processes.
Whether or not the Unity Bar will proceed with its scheduled election in the light of the above development and the recent directive that branches having Election related dispute should submit to the recently constituted Branch Elections Monitoring Committee would be known soon.
Copies of the Originating processes and the forwarding letter:
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