The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has described as false the news attributed to one of the online news outfit purporting that the President of the NBA, Olumide Akpata has nominated himself and his sister to the membership of the National Judicial Council (NJC).
The rebuttal is contained in a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary of the NBA, Dr. Rapulu Nduka.
The statement noted that the publication was a figment of the publisher’s imagination and took a swipe at publishers of unverified news noting that they contribute to hitting up the system.
The statement reads in part:
“The attention of the Nigerian Bar Association (“NBA”) has been drawn to the unfounded allegations published by Chioma Unini of ‘The Nigerian Lawyer’ Legal Blog to the effect that the NBA President, Mr Olumide Akpata, has nominated himself and/or his sister to represent the NBA at the National Judicial Council (“NJC”).
In the publication of 18 October 2020, the said Chioma Unini had reported that a so-called “source” disclosed to TheNigeriaLawyer that Mr Olumide Akpata has nominated his sister to the NJC. Nothing could be further from the truth. This report is at best, the figment of the imagination of its purveyors and members of the NBA are accordingly urged to disregard it.
The NBA also wishes to set the record straight and state, for the avoidance of doubt, that the NBA President has not nominated or recommended anyone to represent the NBA at the NJC or any other statutory body for that matter. The NJC is a public institution and information regarding its membership is easily verifiable. Any responsible news medium is expected to take the extra step of confirming information passed on to it by its sources before further stoking the flames of fake news spreading across the country.
The NBA remains committed to a transparent and accountable leadership that carries every member along, as this is the only way the Bar can be made to Work for all.”