Stakeholders of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in the Northern geo-political zone have distanced themselves from any splinter group of the association, including the New Nigeria Bar Association (NNBA) and resolved to work with the new leadership of the NBA led by Mr. Olumide Akpata.
They gave this assurance after a meeting in Abuja on Wednesday with the national leaders of the NBA during which Akpata pledged to work for the unity and progress of the association.
Akpata, after the meeting attended by over 40 branch Chairmen and leaders of the NBA from the northern geopolitical zone, told journalist that “The message we want you to help us put out there is that, at the NBA, we are one. We are not divided.”
He said it was wrong for lawyers, who ought to lead on the right way to go and promote national unity, to be associated with disunity.
Akpata said as lawyers, “we should learn to disagree to agree. We have spoken unequivocally today that we are one association, and by extension one country.”
The Acting Chairman of Arewa Lawyers Forum (ALF), Elisha Yakubu Kura (SAN), later read the resolutions reached at the meeting tagged: “Meeting between the NBA President, national leaders and branch Chairmen and leaders of the northern geopolitical zone of the NBA.”
Kura said part of the resolutions was that: “At the meeting today, Mr. Akpata reassured us that his administration is very keen on ensuring that we did not have only a united Bar, but also an indivisible one, and we verily believe in him.
“We have unanimously agreed to support his (Akpata’s) leadership of the NBA, and we hereby restate our true allegiance to the NBA and disassociate ourselves from the “New NBA” or any splinter group whatsoever making the wave in recent weeks as a new association/body of lawyers in Nigeria.
