The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has suspended its General Secretary, Mrs Joyce Oduah, over allegations of “gross misconduct.”
The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the National Executive Committee of the association on Monday.
According to a copy of the ‘final resolution’ issued at the end of Monday’s meeting, Oduah and 10 other members of the committee, including the NBA President, Olumide Akpata, were present at the meeting.
The meeting was presided by the 1st Vice President, John Aikpokpo Martins with the NBA president, Akpata voluntarily withdrawing to play the role.
The Premium Times also reports that with the exception of Akpata and Oduah, nine members in attendance signed the resolution suspending the General Secretary.
The nine members of the committee who signed the resolution had, in a letter dated August 9, and addressed to Mr Akpata, called for the emergency meeting to address recent actions recently taken by Oduah.
The principal among the allegations levelled against her was her recent unilateral withdrawal of notices for the amendment of the association’s constitution. The constitution amendment, by the earlier notices, was meant to be considered at the association’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) scheduled to begin on 19 August in Lagos.
Akpata, had on Friday, issued a disclaimer reversing the withdrawal of the notices for the constitution amendment.
Rising from its emergency meeting on Monday, the National Executive Committee passed the resolution suspending Mrs Oduah from office as the General Secretary.
The decision was hinged on the need to ensure a hitch-free AGM “and to prevent the General Secretary, Mrs Joyce Oduah from imperiling the Annual General Meeting.”
“…The National Executive Committee has unanimously exercised its emergency powers under section 9(6) (d) of the NBA Constitution 2015 (as amended in 2021) to suspend Mrs Joyce Oduah from office as the General Secretary of the Association with immediate effect pending the Pre-Conference meeting of the NBA-NEC scheduled to hold on Sunday 21st August 2022,” the resolution read in part.
In her place, the Assistant General Secretary, Uchenna Nwadialo, was asked to “immediately act as the General Secretary pending the Pre-Conference meeting of the NBA-NEC…”
The resolution urged NBA members “to continue their preparations for the forthcoming Annual General Conference.”
During the emergency meeting, it was revealed in the resolution that the NBA leadership deliberated extensively on Mrs Oduah’s acts of alleged disobedience to Mr Akpata and the NBA-NEC.
Due to Mr Akpata and Mrs Oduah’s earlier disagreement which culminated in the disclaimer, “Mr Olumide Akpata recused himself from the deliberations and handed over to the 1st Vice President, Mr John Aikpokpo Martins to chair the meeting.”
“At the end of the deliberations, the National Executive Committee by a unanimous decision resolved to refer the General Secretary, Mrs Joyce Oduah to NBA-NEC for disciplinary action under the provisions of section 20(1) of the NBA Constitution 2015 (as amended in 2021) and to recommend her removal from office for gross misconduct.”
An internal memo from the national officers addressed to Mr Akpata dated 14 August, chronicled several allegations of “gross misconduct” against Mrs Oduah.
The memo formed the basis for the NBA’s emergency meeting where Oduah’s transgressions topped the agenda.
Titled ‘Need for Urgent Action to Forestall a Crisis in the NBA,’ the memo accused the suspended General Secretary of being a “clog in the smooth administration of the Association by various acts of dereliction of duty, disobedience to lawful orders, misconducting herself and being involved in acts and behaviours which are likely to, and have indeed brought the Association into disrepute.”
She was accused of lacking the “proper temperament” expected of her office as General Secretary.
“Mrs Oduah has throughout this administration exhibited a domineering, rude, disrespectful and obstructive attitude that has greatly affected the morale and working atmosphere in the national secretariat.”
The memo cited an instance where Mrs Oduah “physically assaulted a staff member and a member of the Association, Mr Ndifreke Aquaisua when she without provocation or lawful reason slapped him in the office.”
The said altercation forced Aquaisua to resign owing to Oduah’s “tigerish and oppressing attitude.”
Another issue that was raised against Mrs Oduah bordered on her “lack of capacity to diligently discharge the duties of her office.”
“The General Secretary is always unable to produce communique immediately after NEC meetings are expected,” the memo disclosed, adding that Mr Akpata working with Rapulu Nduka, NBA’s Publicity Secretary would always stand in the gap of doing the job.
Concerning various acts of alleged insubordination, Oduah was said to have refused to write letters to the Federal High Court and Supreme Court management, despite being asked to do so by the NBA leadership.
Again, the suspended General Secretary was accused of compromising the integrity of the NBA as a neutral body in observing the Ondo State Governorship election in October 2020.
She was said to have led the NBA election observers “to pay an unsolicited visit to the home of Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) on the date of the election, whilst the voting was ongoing.”
The nine national officers who signed the letter detailing the allegations against Mrs Oduah were the ones who also signed the resolution suspending her.
They include: John Aikpokpo-Martins, 1st Vice President; Debo Adeyemo Kazeem, 2nd Vice President; Ombo Victor Frank-Brigg, 3rd Vice President; Uchenna Nwadialo, Assistant General Secretary; and Mercy Ijato Agada, Treasurer.
The rest are: Raphael Nnamdi Anagor, Financial Secretary; Olukunle Edun, Welfare Secretary; Rapuluchukwu Nduka, Publicity Secretary; Ferdinand Naza, Assistant Publicity Secretary.
The suspension of the NBA secretary comes close to the association’s Annual General Conference which holds in Lagos from 19 to 26 August.
Apart from the proposed review of the association scheduled to be considered during the week-long AGM, the event will also usher in the President-elect of the NBA, Yakubu Maikyau (SAN) and other elected national officers.
