Badejo-Okusanya SAN Has Turned NBA To a Doormat of The Tinubu With Sealed Lips, Totally Castrated And Lying Prostrate – Lagos Lawyer Onwukeme Esq Laments

A Lagos-based lawyer, Maduka Onwukeme Esq., Founding Partner of ELIX LLP, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos, has launched a scathing attack on the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, accusing her of presiding over what he described as a weakened and politically compromised Bar that has abandoned its responsibility to defend democracy.

Onwukeme accused Badejo-Okusanya of failing to provide the institutional leadership expected of the NBA amid alleged political violence, attacks on opposition candidates and restrictions on opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.

In a blistering assessment of the NBA President’s leadership, the lawyer described the Association as a “doormat of the Tinubu administration”, alleging that its leadership had become unwilling to speak out against developments threatening Nigeria’s democratic institutions.

“To say the NBA is an extension of the Executive Branch of Government is absolutely false. It is now a doormat of the Tinubu administration. Its lips are sealed. The Bar is totally castrated and lying prostrate,” he stated.

The lawyer’s criticism was particularly directed at Badejo-Okusanya, whom he accused of failing to use the authority and influence of the NBA presidency to demand accountability from government and security agencies over alleged attacks on opposition political figures.

He specifically questioned the NBA President’s silence following reported attacks on the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, in Ekiti State, and the attack on the convoy of the New Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in Calabar.

Onwukeme also expressed concern over reports of supporters of opposition parties being killed by suspected thugs linked to the ruling party, asking why the NBA leadership had not condemned the killings or demanded the arrest and prosecution of those responsible.

“Supporters of opposition parties killed by suspected thugs of the Ruling party. No condemnation from the NBA or call for their arrests and prosecution,” he lamented.

He further accused some APC-controlled state governments of frustrating opposition political activities by allegedly preventing opposition parties from pasting campaign posters, mounting billboards and accessing public or private facilities for political meetings and campaigns.

According to him, opposition candidates had allegedly been denied access to campaign venues, while some political gatherings had been attacked by agents of APC-controlled state governments.

The lawyer said the NBA President’s failure to publicly address these developments was particularly troubling because the Association had historically been regarded as a leading institutional defender of constitutionalism, civil liberties and the rule of law.

Onwukeme also faulted Badejo-Okusanya’s leadership over the NBA’s alleged silence on claims that the voters’ register published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had been compromised with AI-generated data containing fake voters.

“I did not even add the compromise of the INEC published voters list with AI generated data of fake voters. No statement from the NBA,” he said.

He warned that the alleged developments posed a serious threat to Nigeria’s democratic foundations and could undermine the credibility of the 2027 general elections if left unaddressed.

Drawing a historical parallel with the events of 1993, Onwukeme recalled how former military Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida, derailed Nigeria’s transition to democracy following the annulment of the June 12 presidential election.

He alleged that rogue elements within the Judiciary were used to frustrate the democratic process, adding that there was no functioning NBA at the national level at the time, following the crisis that engulfed the Association at its 1992 Port Harcourt conference.

Onwukeme warned that Nigeria must not repeat the mistakes of that period, insisting that the NBA should be at the forefront of resisting any attempt to undermine the country’s democratic institutions.

He accused the current administration of being determined to destroy Nigeria’s hard-earned democracy and expressed disappointment that Badejo-Okusanya had failed to provide the kind of institutional resistance expected from the leader of the legal profession.

The lawyer also criticised the NBA President over her perceived closeness to the Presidency, particularly her visit to Aso Rock following her disputed election.

He suggested that the visit had reinforced perceptions of political sympathy between the NBA leadership and the Tinubu administration, raising further questions about the Association’s independence.

Onwukeme also took aim at what he described as the NBA President’s preoccupation with sharing videos of her attendance at official and social events while, in his view, critical national issues demanded the Association’s attention.

“All I see is the NBA president sharing video reels of her attendance of various official or social events,” he stated.

Questioning Badejo-Okusanya’s priorities, he said:

“You keep wondering if we elected a so called first female president of the NBA (as she calls herself) for her to enjoy the pleasures and privileges of the NBA presidency while she shirks her responsibilities to the Bar and the Nation.”

Beyond the NBA’s response to national political developments, Onwukeme linked what he described as the Association’s institutional weakness to its internal electoral structure.

He argued that the exclusion of nearly 60 per cent of registered voters from the NBA electoral process had contributed to concerns about the legitimacy and accountability of its leadership.

According to him, allowing a relatively small group of lawyers to determine the Association’s leadership could produce leaders who are more responsive to the interests of those controlling the electoral process than to the wider membership.

He therefore called for sustained agitation for electoral reforms within the NBA, urging lawyers to demand a more inclusive electoral system and hold elected leaders accountable.

Onwukeme insisted that Badejo-Okusanya must reclaim the independence and institutional authority of the NBA by ensuring that the Association speaks out against abuses of power, irrespective of the political party responsible.

He warned that the NBA could not afford to remain silent while opposition politicians and their supporters allegedly faced violence and intimidation, stressing that the Association’s responsibility to defend democracy extended beyond the interests of its members.

For the lawyer, the NBA’s perceived silence under Badejo-Okusanya’s leadership represents an abandonment of the historic responsibility of the Bar to defend the rule of law and protect Nigeria’s democratic order.