NEW NBA EXCO AND OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM

Nigeria's justice system is at a critical juncture as the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) inaugurates its new executive, led by Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN. This leadership transition, marked by a relatively smooth online voting process despite initial glitches, brings a notable gender equity development, with women now holding key positions including the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the President of the Court of Appeal.

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The impunity with which members of the profession now engage in illegal and fraudulent activities has called to question the ability of the Legal Disciplinary Committee of the NBA to sanitise the profession.

However, the new NBA leadership inherits a system grappling with profound moral and ethical challenges. Lawyer indiscipline, including illegal and fraudulent activities, has reached an "intolerable level," raising questions about the efficacy of the Legal Disciplinary Committee. The public perception that justice is increasingly accessible only to the rich and politically influential further erodes faith in the judiciary, which is seen as the "last hope of the common man."

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The general notion is that justice in Nigeria is increasingly for the rich, and politically influential.

Ahead of the 2027 general election, the NBA is called upon to reassert itself as a defender of the rule of law and social justice. The article highlights the anomaly of judges influencing election outcomes, often diverging from voter intent, and the concerning trend of courts in the same jurisdiction issuing conflicting judgments. The NBA's statutory obligation to guide the conduct and integrity of the legal profession demands urgent action to reverse the erosion of equality before the law and safeguard democratic rule.

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Even though not entirely their making, a handful of judges now decide the ultimate outcome of elections, often at variance with the verdict of voters expressed at the ballot.