NBA asks Olanipekun to step down as chairman, Body of Benchers

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has urged the chairman of the Body of Benchers (BOB) Wole Olanipekun to recuse himself from the position to allow for investigation against his firm over allegations of misconduct.

TheNewsMatrics had reported how a partner in Olanipekun’s law firm, Adekunbi Ogunde in June wrote to top executives of Italian oil services firm, Saipem SPA, soliciting a brief, which was already being handled by Odein Ajumogobia SAN, who was a one time minister of state for petroleum resources.

Ogunde had claimed in the letter that Olanipekun, by virtue of being the chairman of the Body of Benchers, which included justices of the Supreme Court, was “head of the legal profession” in Nigeria.

Upon being alerted of the development by Saipem executives, a livid Ajumogobi had carpeted Olanipekun in a letter published by this newspaper for conduct unbecoming of a member of the inner bar. Olanipekun apologised and claimed that Ogunde acted without authorisation.

However, in a letter to Olanipekun signed by NBA president Olumide Akpata and dated July 22, the body urged the senior lawyer to make way for an interim BOB chairman to guarantee justice and fairness in the probe.

The NBA said it would be in the interest of justice if Olanipekun steps down as BOB chairman considering the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC), which has received NBA’s petition against Olanipekun’s law firm, is a committee under the supervision of the BOB chairman.

It also said Olanipekun has been in a situation where his continued occupancy of the office of BOB chairman during the course of the investigation would “conflict or be reasonably interpreted to conflict with or influence the processes of the LPDC” by the public and members of the NBA.

“Consequent upon the above, I am constrained to invite you to recuse yourself from chairmanship of the BOB henceforth and to allow for the emplacement of an interim leadership of the BOB, in order to enable the LPDC carry out this particular assignment, amongst others, without coming under an undue suspicion of impartiality,” the letter reads.