The Second Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and a member of the Yoruba lawyers’ forum Egbe Amofin Oodua, Dr. Foluke Dada has said that the claim that all members of the Yorouba Lawyers forum have endorsed a candidate for the forthcoming NBA General Election is misleading
Dr. Dada said this in a statement she titled “Re: The purported Letter by Egbe Amofin to the Eastern Bar Forum” which was made available to reporters today.
“I am indeed flustered to read on social media that a letter purportedly emanated from our esteemed Egbé Amòfin O’òduà claiming to endorse a single candidate from the Southwest.
May I remind us all that Egbé Amòfin O’òduà is a common heritage of all legal practitioners of Yoruba descent – A crop of pioneer lawyers who have distinguished themselves throughout the history of Nigeria.”
Dr. Dada stated that as a stakeholder in Egbe Amofin Oodua, it is imperative that she corrects the erronous impression which she claims is being created by a few members of the Yoruba lawyers forum.
“It is in the spirit of this pedigree that I, Dr. Foluke Dada, incumbent Second Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association and the most senior national officer from the West (South & Mid West), and a vested and key stakeholder of Egbé Amòfin O’òduà and the NBA politics in my humble view, that I seek to correct the erroneous belief that an endorsement, approved by all members of Egbé Amòfin O’òduà or by any such Association from the West has taken place.”
“I am indeed aware that a few members of Egbé agreed to endorse their preferred candidate but to announce it as the decision of all members of Egbé Amòfin O’òduà is ludicrous, if not misleading. This is not about any discord within or without any particular Forum. It is my considered view that leadership must start from within our different groups and reflect in the choices we make which ultimately will reflect in what we make of ourselves and the Bar in general. We must take a cue and indeed direction from the NBA Constitution of 2015 as amended in 2019 which abandoned the delegate system and instituted the universal suffrage process. This inevitably obliterate the practice of group adoption which does not in any way translate to votes!
We must show leadership to our younger ones by example, not by dictatorship or by our insensitivity.”
She urged members of the other fora of the NBA to keep an open in the selection of leaders of the association.
“I therefore urge the membership and leadership of the other Fora of the Nigerian Bar Association to keep an open mind and select our future leaders conscientiously. Leaders across the country must act ex propio motu, of their own accord,to choose our next leaders on the conviction that leadership is not by desperation but by your innate abilities to lead. The vicissitudes of our fortune in the politics of NBA will only be more alarming if we do not consider that our moral obligations, sense of fairness and fairplay will ultimately determine the quality leadership we acquire!”