By Chuks Eke
Human rights lawyer, Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor has landed Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okunsanya SAN for her recent victory as the 33rd President of Nigerian Bar Association, NBA.
In a press statement issued on Wednesday, titled: “The ballot has spoken: A new chapter for the Nigerian Bar”, Ejiofor stated that since the ballot has spoken and the contest is over, it is now time for the NBA to move beyond the rhetoric, recriminations and bruised emotions that inevitably accompany every fiercely contested election.
According to Ejiofor, “I therefore join thousands of distinguished members of our noble profession, to which I am eminently privileged to belong, as well as well-meaning members of the wider public, in extending my heartfelt and unreserved congratulations to the President-elect of the NBA, Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okunsanya, SAN, on her emergence as the 33rd President of the Bar”.
“The election was keenly contested, and as is customary with elections, particularly elections within an intellectually sophisticated and professionally discerning constituency such as the Bar, there will inevitably be disagreements, complaints, criticisms and, perhaps, legitimate questions regarding aspects of the electoral process”.
“Such reactions are neither unprecedented nor necessarily abnormal. Indeed, the history of democratic elections, whether within professional associations or at the highest levels of national governance, teaches us that no electoral process is entirely immune from contestation”.
“But there is a time to contest, a time to campaign, a time to persuade, and—equally importantly—a time to accept the outcome and begin the work of rebuilding the collective institution”.
“The three distinguished Senior Advocates who offered themselves for the presidency did so, presumably, because each believed he or she possessed the vision, capacity and competence required to serve the Nigerian Bar. In the final analysis, however, only one candidate could emerge victorious. The immutable arithmetic of an election does not permit three candidates to simultaneously occupy the same office”.
“Three candidates may contest; three may inspire; three may deserve admiration; but three cannot, by the very logic of electoral democracy, emerge President at the same time. That elementary truth should not be obscured by the passions of the moment”.
“It is therefore time for all members of the Bar, especially those who participated actively in the electoral contest, to sheath their swords, lower the temperature of post-election discourse and allow the new administration the opportunity to assume the enormous responsibility that now lies before it”.
“With profound respect, I also believe that our senior colleagues must exercise restraint in the manner in which they ventilate post-election grievances in the public space. There is nothing inherently wrong with criticism; indeed, constructive criticism is indispensable to institutional growth. But when every disagreement is converted into a public spectacle and every electoral disappointment becomes an invitation to perpetual media combat, the dignity and gravitas traditionally associated with the legal profession risk being diminished”.
“The Bar does not need to turn every disagreement into a television series, nor should every electoral grievance be given a permanent residency in the studios of every available media platform. The profession has enough wisdom within its ranks to resolve its internal disagreements without making a theatre of every dispute”.
“To the President-elect, Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okunsanya, SAN, I say: congratulations on a hard-fought and well-earned victory.
Your emergence was not accidental. It was the culmination of a sustained campaign, an unmistakable investment of time and energy, and a determined engagement with members of the profession across the country”.
“Indeed, the intensity of your campaign was such that, at certain moments, one could almost be forgiven for asking whether you were the sole presidential candidate in the race! That, perhaps, was itself a reflection of the formidable visibility and momentum your campaign generated. But election victory is only the beginning”.
“I therefore urge the President-elect to be magnanimous in victory and to extend a genuine hand of fellowship to all those who contested alongside her. The candidates who did not prevail in this election are not defeated enemies; they are distinguished members of the same profession and, potentially, indispensable partners in the task of rebuilding and repositioning the Nigerian Bar”.
“The wisdom of victory lies not merely in triumphing over one’s opponents, but in possessing the generosity of spirit to embrace them after the contest. The election may have produced one President, but it must not produce a divided Bar. The Bar must evolve, but it must evolve without losing its soul”.
Beyond this, the new administration must confront the more fundamental challenges affecting the Nigerian lawyer: the declining economic viability of legal practice for many practitioners, the welfare of young lawyers, the need for greater professional opportunities, the urgent imperative of improving access to justice, the independence and integrity of the legal profession, and the restoration of public confidence in the justice delivery system”.
“Mrs. Badejo-Okunsanya, SAN, has been entrusted with the mandate. The Bar now awaits the legacy. May her administration be defined by courage without arrogance, firmness without intolerance, inclusiveness without compromise of principle, and reform without recklessness”.
“Let this, therefore, be the moment when the Bar closes the chapter of electoral contestation and opens the chapter of institutional transformation.The campaign is over. The ballots have been counted. The mandate has been given. Now, the real work begins”.
Once again, I heartily congratulate Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okunsanya, SAN, on her historic emergence as the 33rd President of the Nigerian Bar Association. May her tenure be consequential, transformative and worthy of the confidence reposed in her by the members of our noble profession. The Bar has spoken. History has recorded it. Leadership must now prove it”, said Ejiofor.
