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The Body of States Attorneys-General has stepped into the leadership crisis rocking the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), calling on all parties to exercise restraint and allow ongoing efforts aimed at resolving the dispute through established institutional processes.
In a communiqué issued on Friday, following its meeting, the Body appealed to members of the legal profession and other stakeholders to refrain from making public statements capable of inflaming tensions as moves continue to find a lasting solution to the crisis.
The communiqué, jointly signed by the Chairman of the Body, Dr. Ben Uruchi Odoh, and its Secretary, Senior Ibrahim Sulyman, expressed support for an amicable resolution of the dispute.
The Attorneys-General urged all parties to embrace dialogue in line with existing court directives and work towards resolving the impasse in the interest of preserving the unity, dignity and integrity of the Nigerian Bar Association.
The Body also called for the urgent convening of an emergency meeting of the General Council of the Bar (GCB), the statutory body established under Section 1(1) of the Legal Practitioners Act, Cap. L11, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, which is responsible for the management of the affairs of the NBA.
According to the communiqué, the emergency meeting would provide the appropriate platform to facilitate an amicable resolution of the issues that have given rise to the current leadership crisis.
Reaffirming its commitment to the rule of law and the independence of the legal profession, the Body stressed the need to preserve the unity and institutional integrity of the NBA.
It expressed confidence that the dispute could be resolved through constructive engagement, mutual respect and strict adherence to the law.
