Osigwe’s Resignation: Stop Heating Up NBA, Obegolu SAN Fires Back at Murray SAN Over Call For NBA President’s Removal for Scandalous Statements
The simmering leadership debate within the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) intensified on Wednesday as Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Emeka Obegolu, SAN, issued a detailed rejoinder to Muritala Abdul-Rasheed, SAN, over his call for the resignation of NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN.
In a statement titled “Stop Heating the NBA Polity: A Rejoinder to Muritala Abdul-Rasheed, SAN,” Obegolu described Murray’s article demanding the President’s resignation as “a regrettable exercise in speculation presented as institutional concern.” He said the piece was unfounded, misleading, and constructed largely on rumours, second-hand narratives, and assumptions that do not withstand minimal scrutiny. According to him, greater circumspection was expected from a Senior Advocate of Nigeria on matters capable of unsettling the polity of the Bar.
Obegolu strongly rejected the claim that the NBA President described lawyers and judges as the “most corrupt” or “worst bribe takers” in Nigerian society. He stated categorically that no such statement was made at any forum and that the President did not employ such language or convey such a sentiment. What the President addressed, he explained, was the broader challenge of systemic corruption and the collective responsibility of institutions in strengthening ethical standards. He pointed out that an accurate account of the President’s remarks had already been reported by Vanguard, and that any reader interested in the truth could consult the published interview. He expressed concern that a senior member of the Bar would disregard what he described as an authoritative public record and instead propagate a version of events that is demonstrably incorrect, warning that such an approach does a disservice not only to the President but to the profession itself.
On the controversy surrounding the Maiduguri National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, Obegolu faulted Murray for commenting on proceedings he did not attend. He noted that assertions were made about statements allegedly uttered and conduct allegedly displayed without personal knowledge, a situation he said ought to have imposed a duty of restraint. He disclosed that the Local Organising Committee confirmed that all aspirants to national offices were given equal opportunity to display branded materials at the venue, with no aspirant accorded preferential treatment or excluded. He added that the official bottled water provided at the event bore no branding of any aspirant, describing suggestions to the contrary as inaccurate and misleading.
According to Obegolu, the President’s posture at the Maiduguri meeting was the opposite of partisanship. He said the President cautioned against the growing monetisation of NBA politics, warning that it erodes the dignity and integrity of the Association. He also called on the Electoral Committee of the NBA to enforce constitutional provisions against financial inducement firmly and without fear or favour, while urging that aspirants should not be subjected to undue financial burdens. The President, he stated, reaffirmed that although members of the National Executive Committee retain their personal right to vote, the Constitution expressly prohibits open endorsement of candidates by the leadership, a prohibition he undertook to respect. He described the leadership as fathers to all aspirants, not patrons of any.
Obegolu further argued that allegations of bias were premature, noting that under the NBA Constitution, candidacy only arises upon formal declaration and submission of nomination documents to the Electoral Committee. As at now, he said, there are no candidates for the office of NBA President or any other national office. Building allegations of bias, institutional capture, or electoral manipulation around non-existent candidates, he maintained, is not only premature but embarrassing.
Responding to questions raised about the President’s achievements after about fifteen months in office, Obegolu suggested that the criticism reflected either a lack of engagement with recent developments or a refusal to acknowledge them. He asserted that the NBA has found its voice in national affairs and has been visible and principled in its interventions on governance, rule of law, judicial independence, and constitutionalism. He attributed this visibility to deliberate and sustained advocacy by the current leadership. Beyond advocacy, he described ongoing efforts to amend the Legal Practitioners Act as a landmark initiative, noting that a serious and coordinated attempt is underway to reform the principal legislation governing legal practice in Nigeria. He said the process, being pursued collaboratively by the NBA, the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, and the Body of Benchers, is itself historic.
Obegolu warned that when senior lawyers speak authoritatively on matters they neither witnessed nor verified, the harm extends beyond the immediate subject of criticism. According to him, it fuels needless division, poisons the atmosphere of the Association, and weakens confidence in its institutions. While acknowledging that the NBA thrives on robust debate, he stressed that such debate must be anchored on facts, evidence, and fairness, not on hearsay or conjecture. He urged senior members of the Bar to stabilise rather than inflame the Association’s polity, stating that seniority carries a responsibility to clarify, not confuse.
He concluded that the call for the resignation of the NBA President has no factual foundation and does not amount to a principled intervention but an overreach. Criticism grounded in truth, he said, strengthens institutions, while persistent resort to misinformation and speculative hostility weakens them. The Nigerian Bar Association, he added, deserves better from its senior voices.
