NBA President flouting court order’

A caretaker committee in the Abuja chapter of the Nigerian Bar Association instituted by the NBA president, Abubakar Mahmoud, has continued to function despite a court order halting its activities, Ezenwa Anumnu, a lawyer has said.

Anumnu, the chairman of the Abuja NBA, said the committee members have been parading themselves as the leaders of the Unity Bar – as the Abuja NBA is known – in disobedience to the court order.

According to Anumnu, the 2018 annual law week being organised by the committee under Mahmoud’s chairmanship, is an act of illegality.

“It is unfortunate that this kind of thing is coming from the national leadership of Nigerian Bar Association who should lead the way in ensuring that justice is done,” Anumnu said in a statement on Sunday.

“Lawyers should serve as examples to the larger society when it comes to obedience to court orders and rule of law in the country.”

For more than two years, the Abuja NBA has been engulfed in crisis as factional chairpersons emerged after both Mr Anumnu and Victor Abasiaka laid claim to the leadership of the group.

At an NBA NEC meeting in Aba, Abia state, in March last year, the leadership unanimously resolved to remove Messrs Anumnu and Abasiaka as factional chairmen of the Abuja branch.

The factional leaders were also barred from participating in a fresh election to be conducted by a caretaker committee appointed by Mr Mahmoud.

A few days later, Anumnu filed a suit before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory seeking an order restraining the caretaker committee from putting into effect the resolutions made at the Aba NEC meeting, including conducting an election.

He also sought an order of court directing the defendant to restore him to his position as chairman of the Abuja branch of the NBA pending the determination of the substantive suit.

Anumnu further sought an order restraining the defendant or its agents from denying him access to the exercise of the powers and duties of the chairman of Abuja NBA.

In June, 2017, U.P Kekemeke, the judge, granted the order restraining the defendant or its agents or “the purported caretaker committee” from putting into effect the resolutions made at the NEC in Aba.

The judge also granted the order restraining the defendant or the caretaker committee from conducting any election at the Abuja branch pending the determination of the substantive suit.

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