The Radical Agenda Movement in the
Nigerian Bar Association (RAMINBA) has replied to a post made by Steve
Abar, former 2nd and 1st Vice President of the Nigerian Bar
Association on the ongoing trial of the presidential aspirant running on its
platform, Mr. Ogunlana Adesina Ademola by the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission. I
In a statement issued by Ayo Ademiluyi, the Secretary of the
Radical Agenda Movement in the Nigerian Bar Association, the organisation
would ordinarily restrain from making commentary on the ongoing trial based on
the sub judice principle, but it has found it important based on the issues
raised in the said Steve Abar's post to comment on the political implicationss
thereof as the NBA presidential race heats up.
On 12th day of February, 2020, Mr. Adesina Ogunlana took to
his popular Facebook wall , where he posted thus:
"OUR FRIENDS IN POLITICS
In the course of my trajectory towards the Presidency of the
Nigerian Bar Association , one of the more amusing mounds of mud thrown at me
is the issue of my EFCC case .Many of the mud throwers throw their mud as if
they were the proverbial 'carpenters' of Nigerian legal folk lore .
As far as these legal juggernauts are concerned , going by
their stance, arraignment and trial are tantamount to CONVICTION.
Thus as far as these brilliant legal minds are concerned , I am not a fit and
proper person to aspire to any position in the NBA, at least for
now one of our denouncers , Steve Abar, Esq., former 2nd and 1st
Vice NBA President, who rightly claimed that he had stood chest to chest
with the Tigers in struggles afore, (though did not mention any one
instance when he was ever a 'struggle mate' with his Ikeja based
preferred candidate ) asserted in a response to a post that ' his(Ogunlana)'s
EFCC case will weigh him down ' .
The question is how would arraignment and trial have such
effect on any unprejudiced truly trained and astute minds schooled in the
elevated pedagogies of the presumption of innocence doctrines . Shouldn't
even the benefit of the doubt be made to weigh more in favour of the accused in
the minds of the scruplously fair minded legal mind particularly where
such a mind is far off from the vortex of political conflict and clash of
interests leading to judicial trial . You would have thought that a quality
fellow trencher would not quickly toss away belief for unbelief , search
diligently for the truth of accusations before arriving at a negative
conclusion .
Another well known non fancier is also, interestingly,
named STEVE ;Steve Uchenna Nwankwo Esq who rejoices in the cadescence of
a luminous sobriquet of STEVE SUN . That worthy had noted fillipantly somewhere
recently whilst trying to englitter the plumage of his preferred
candidate that ' we dont even know how his EFCC case would end ' To us
this is nothing but a clever by half , sly dammnation of our aspiration
which cannot slow us down . .
Attacks, fair and unfair are common fare in politics ,
fortunately we here have a stomach of iron that not only digests poisoned
meals and rubbish easily without side effects but get nourished spectacularly
thereby . Alleged FRIENDS who even without balanced
investigations, private engagements and interactions with a mind to
finding out the truth as much as possible even with all opportunities of
access but find it all too easy to join one's HATERS to nail one on
the cross of unproved accusations, are FRIENDS indeed .
May God continue to bless such wonderful friends and reward
them with exciting propects of being around in the days of joyous vindication
.Such need not roil in mortification when doxologies are rendered
unto the Almighty for his great Deliverance , for they shall surely be invited
to the theatre of Rejoice !
NB .....this piece was written to mark this day, 12th
February 2020 , exactly a year now that the EFCC came to arrest me in my
chambers . When this happened local and in house traducers thought it
was finished with us and boasted and assured willing ears that I shall
end up in jail within months . Their main angst against me is my guts and
confidence which they find so galling . We sullied the bullies by refusing to
bend like robots to their wishes and tingodism at the NBA IKEJA BAR . They are
still galled up because despite their arrows , bullets, blows
, yours sincerely , instead of wilting and cringing has become ever so
resurgent and reflugent . To whom do we ascribe all this to ? God, God , God .
The fish in the picture (attached to the post) was a victim of celebration in
the afternoon .I carried its still substantial remains off the battle
field , to be seen off in chambers with a chilled lager You understand
now ? Bless you my friends and my FRIENDS"
Mr. Steve Abar responded on the thread thus:
"Ademola Ogunlana Adesina , you may find your criminal
trial amusing, but regrettably, I do not share your sentiment as I find nothing
amusing in a President of the NBA being subjected to the dock on ALLEGATIONS of
corruption especially when the trial precedes the aspiration and or eventual
assumption of the office. My opinion with the greatest respect, is without
prejudice to the presumption of your innocence or even the eventual outcome of
the trial you are facing. I must also confess that in holding this view, I do
not advert my mind to the quality of the facts alleged in the criminal charge
against you and whether they will succeed or otherwise. I am simply deeply
worried about the negative public perception of the Association nay the entire
legal profession which will be engendered by the prospect of having a second
consecutive President of the NBA also being docked, as if the Association is
suffering from a dearth of options from which to pick its leadership. This view
of your situation which I hold is consistent with the tenacious position I held
against Paul Usoro's aspiration during his quest for the presidency of the NBA
even though at the material time, the issue of his arraignment was still
speculative. Should you be in doubt, you may check my posts both on my wall and
on other relevant threads at the material time. I am therefore not in a hurry
to do a volte-face simply because this time around you are the person involved
and also notwithstanding your irrefutable radical credentials.
My compatriot (I still consider you one), I can bear eloquent
testimony to the many instances you and others of the Tiger Branch demonstrated
grit and commitment to the cause of the NBA and lawyers. Nevertheless, we are
here dealing with a situation where I believe that you are offering yourself
for SERVICE to the Bar and NOT TO BE SERVED. If that be the case as I hope it
is, the honourable thing for you particularly (given your hitherto known
selfless disposition) to do in the overriding general interest and image of the
NBA is to temporarily put aside your personal ambition, confront the trial
against you and allow its outcome to vindicate you. Thereafter, should the
outcome be favourable, you could in the future offer yourself for service again
whilst standing on a higher moral pedestal. This is what obtains in civilised
climes where the principle of presumption of innocence also enures in favour of
accused persons who are in some instances even incumbents. I believe, that you
my honourable friend will demonstrate this rare quality that is grossly
deficient in our society today by pointing the way to go if we must attain the
model future we genuinely desire both for our dear NBA and our Nation Nigeria,
not because I PREJUDGE your trial, but because I consider it a greater
sacrifice for the general good and image of the NBA.
My friend, an integral attribute of leadership is the the
ability to elevate and place the general good over and above personal interest
or desire. I am calling on you today to carefully reconsider your decision to
run at this inopportune time, particularly so since any of your other gentlemen
co - aspirants have made the decision easier for you given their widely
acknowledged capabilities.
Finally, I had craved an opportunity for us to have this
discourse privately and therefore sincerely regret my slip in bringing it up in
response to somebody else's query on another thread which subsequently caught
your attention and now elicited your elaborate post. Permit me to state that I
do not by any stretch of imagination consider you unfit or not proper to
contest for the presidency of the NBA by reason of your on going trial. I am
also not your hater. My position is the product of my long held and publicly
expressed belief which has found fulfilment in the manifestation of a seemingly
gagged NBA under Paul Usoro. I wish you could see it as that and nothing more.
Thank you and kindly ignore the incomplete response I earlier
inadvertently posted here and substitute it with this one"
The questions for Mr. Steve Abar are numerous but some are:
1. On what grounds did Mr. Steve Abar advise Mr. Paul Usoro
SAN not to run, when he had no criminal matter agaisnt him , prior to his
electoral victory at the 2018 polls?
2. Why is he recommending to Mr. Ogunlana to shelve his
presidential ambition because of his ongoing trial, his undisclosed
grounds of advice with which he advised Mr. Paul Usoro SAN, when he had
no criminal matter ?
3. What is the basis of equality of capabilities
ascribed to all the candidates to warrant Mr. Ogunlana to withdraw from
the NBA presidential race?
It is clear as noonday that Mr. Steve Abar' s response is
blurry and an attempt to drive emotions up against the presidential aspiration
of Mr. Ogunlana. While on one hand , deferring to the doctrine of presumption
of innocence , Mr. Abar wants Mr. Ogunlana to halt his presidential
aspiration due to his ongoing trial.
Mr. Abar' s school of thought is that elective offices such
as the Office of the President of the Nigerian Bar Association is a deified
office that should not be aspired to by individuals , who are facing any form
of trial, inspite of the presumption of innocence against them.
Mr. Abar's conclusion that the ongoing trial of Mr. Paul
Usoro SAN led to the current gagged NBA leadership is not only presumptuous
but amounts to begging the question. If we may ask, what background does Mr.
Paul Usoro SAN, the current NBA President have that now got "gagged"
when he entered office! The reality is that , with respect to Mr. Paul Usoro
SAN, he is simply not an activist! Even at that, the pinnacle of Mr. Paul
Usoro SAN' s anti- government action was the declaration of a national boycott,
where were persons such as Mr. Steve Abar at that time?
Now to Mr. Steve Abar's assertion that all the four
presidential have "equal capabilities " , let us examine the
subject matter critically. Mr. Steve Abar's reference of standing shoulders to
shoulders with Ikeja Branch, the Tiger Bar, during their innumerous
struggles, does this include the involvement of Mr. Dele Adesina SAN? It is on
record that the same Dele Adesina SAN , as Chairman of Ikeja Branch of
the Nigerian Bar Association (1998-2000) diswoned his members who
were protesting the sale of the Nigerian Law School?
Dr. Babatunde Ajibade SAN and Mr. Olumide Akpata , both
transactional lawyers has never been known for activism and
critical social interventions. They can't even pretend to be so!
Where then is the equality of capacities among the four?
These are men who have used their skills to make personal
fortunes for themselves and are now eyeing top positions in the Nigerian Bar
Association in order to project their image for higher aspirations.
The four presidential aspirants are all Lagos-based
lawyers, of both Ikeja and Lagos Branches , the two largest Branches of the
Nigerian Bar Association. In 2018, when the then Governor Akinwumi Ambode
of Lagos State sought to impose an horrendous Lagos State Land Use Charge
of 500 percent increment, the reaction of the four aspirants were not the same.
While the other three sat on the fence, Ogunlana leading the NBA IKeja ,
without the support of Mr. Dele Adesina SAN, successfully resisted the
imposition of the taxes.
Equally, when the immediate past Chief Judge of Lagos
State, Honourable Justice Opeyemi Oke came up with the High Court of
Lagos State (Civil Procedure) Rules 2018 with its horrendous filing fees
and punitive costs, what is the attitude or reaction of these aspirants to that
extortionate scheme of the Chief Judge? While three kept quiet, one spoke
against it publicly, carried out demonstrations against it via the
Citizens' Rally Against Oppression and eventually sought judicial
intervention on it? Who is that? Ogunlana Adesina Ademola. Again,
what basis is the equality of capabilities?
The reality is that with the grand onslaught on
democratic rights under the current regime, the leadership that is
required is a fighting leadership. Mr. Steve Abar's wish of
not having a " gagged" leadership can only be fully realised if Mr.
Ogunlana is entrusted with the prime leadership of the Bar.
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