Mazi Afam Osigwe has made good on his threat to sue the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) over his alleged unjust disqualification to run for the office of the President of the NBA by the Electoral Committee of the NBA (ECNBA).
Mazi revealed that he has sued the NBA in a press release titled “I LOVE NBA BUT I LOVE JUSTICE MORE”:
“I respectfully write to inform you I have instituted an action in court to challenge my unjustifiable disqualification and wrongful exclusion from contesting the Nigerian Bar Association Presidency by ECNBA.”
He noted further that his decision to challenge his disqualification is to expose the abuse of power in NBA and ensure that such practice will never happen again in NBA.
“I had to take the difficult decision of instituting an action against the NBA as well as the Electoral Committee of NBA not only to expose abuse of power in NBA but also to ensure that such practice has no place at the Bar. NBA must be a shining light of democratic tenets.”
“It was difficult suing an Association one seeks to lead but that decision was made easy by the need not to allow impunity and lawlessness to prevail in NBA. It was either, allow grave electoral injustice or have a court make a pronouncement on it. I ultimately chose to be true to my conscience and the charge I was given after my Call to Bar “to now go forth in my ..wig .. to serve Nigeria and serve humanity in justice without fear or favour, affection or ill-will.”
Mazi also has a word for those who thinks he should not have sued the NBA:
“To those who think it is wrong for me to go to court to challenge an injustice, I ask, “Must we remain politically correct and allow NBA to shamelessly descend into impunity and lawlessness? Is it better to accept whatever is dished out to us even when we know it offends everything we stand for? Is it desperation to ventilate a grievance?”
I think not.”
“I love NBA. It pains me to sue it but my strong dislike for injustice and lawlessness, dictates that the matter be taken to court to prevent the object of our love (NBA) from being messed up. NBA will die if its soul is taken over by undemocratic forces and lovers of injustice. We have a collective duty to prevent that.”
“We must drain the swamp in the NBA. We must open and democratize the NBA, and make sure that it keeps faith with its motto. We must make sure the Association regains its relevance, so that those who think that others cannot thrive in the NBA are not allowed to have their way. We must not give way to those who think they can arbitrarily determine who can, and who cannot, be in the NBA. It is our Association, and until we take it back, we’re wasting our time.”
“This is why I have chosen to take this course. Until those who abuse their office or powers learn that their actions will not go unchallenged, impunity will continue to thrive.”
It would be recalled that Mazi Afam Osigwe who was one of the aspirants to the office of the President of the NBA was disqualified by the ECNBA under some controversial circumstances which relates to his relocating from NBA Abuja Branch to Nnewi Branch and the payment of practicing fee within the stipulated period.
The NBA election is scheduled to hold between Friday 27th to Saturday 28th July, 2018.
