NIGERIAN BAR
ASSOCIATION
NATIONAL
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING
HOLDEN
IN NBA NATIONAL SECRETARIAT
NBA
HOUSE, ABUJA
WEDNESDAY
5TH, THURSDAY 6TH FRIDAY 7TH DEC., 2018
NOTICE
OF REMOVAL OF MR PAUL USORO SAN FROM THE OFFICE OF PRESIDENT OF NBA
BROUGHT
PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 2.3(i&j) of the NBA CONSTITUION 2015
WHEREAS:-
1.
On
Monday 20th August 2018, Mr Paul Usoro SAN was declared President of
the Nigerian Bar Association by the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar
Association, ECNBA after a contested against other presidential candidates.
2.
Controversies
trailed the accreditation and e-voting processes, which led the NBA President
at the time A B Mahmoud SAN to appoint, with the approval of the National
Executive Committee (NEC) NBA and AGC in August, 2018 in NBA House, the firm of
KPMG to carry out forensic examinations in order to address allegations of
malpractices and irregularities connected to voters identity theft by way of
use of fraudulent email addresses hosted on malicious websites such as
firemail.cc, airmail.cc, and alleged fraudulent alteration and cloning of phone
numbers and interception of passwords.
3.
NEC-NBA
on Sunday 26th August 2018, resolved that the said Mr Paul Usoro’s
inauguration with the other National officers would nevertheless take place.
4.
One
of the Presidential candidates, Arthur Obi Okafor SAN approached the FCT High
Court Abuja to seek inter alia
verification of the election results and the matter has been referred by the
presiding Judge to arbitration/mediation to be commenced and concluded within
sixty(60) days from Monday 26th Nov., 2018.
5.
This
Motion for the removal of the NBA President Paul Usoro SAN has no bearing
whatsoever on the pending NBA election lawsuit and or arbitration/mediation or KPMG’s
audit, although Mr Usoro does appear to stultify the audit process.
6.
This
Motion arises out of his money laundering charges; Mr Paul Usoro SAN is being investigated for possible prosecution by
EFCC. During the NBA campaigns there were allegations of Usoros’ money
laundering activities with State actors with whom he connived to collect monies
from Akwa Ibom State Government coffers in the total sum of One Billion, Four
Hundred Million Naira in suspicious and fraudulent transactions as highlighted
by EFCC on Oath in Nov., 2018.
7.
On
the 25th July 2018, approximately four week to NBA e-voting, on
his Twitter account Mr Paul Usoro SAN stated before a public audience and NBA
Voters that he did not collect money from Akwa Ibom State Government account,
invariably chided Saharareporters who had queried Usoros professional conduct. When indeed and in fact in June 2018
in a statement signed by Mr Paul Usoro
he admitted to EFCC that the said sums were actually collected from Akwa Ibom
State Government coffers; Usoros lack of credibility and transparency
exhibited.
8.
EFCC
has filed court processes indicting the said Mr Paul Usoro SAN on account of
his money laundering activities as aforesaid and hence Mr Usoro will have to
exit the exalted office of the President to defend himself in pending
litigations.
TAKE NOTICE that on Wednesday 5th
December and/or Thursday 6th December 2018 at the hour of 9’0 Clock
in the forenoon or so soon thereafter as the business of NEC permits, NEC will
be prayed for the following Reliefs/Resolutions:-
1) Removing the said Mr Paul Usoro SAN
forthwith from the office of the President of NBA to prevent his further
scandalous activities that denigrate the learned and honourable profession and Noble
NBA.
2)
That the next most senior NBA National officer would take over the running of
NBA and conduct a bye-election for other Presidential contenders that is to say
in alphabetical order Ojukwu SAN and Okafor SAN.
TAKE
FURTHER NOTICE
that this is sequel to Article 2.3 of the NBA Constitution 2015, which says the
President will be removed by effluxion of time, upon resignation or removal by
NEC NBA on any reasonable cause. A Group of concerned Members of NBA by letter
dated 11th October 2018, having given President Paul Usoro SAN the
option of resignation within 14 days (of receipt of the said letter which was
delivered and stamped received on 12th October, 2018) on grounds of
allegations of bribing a Judge of the National Industrial Court Mr Justice James T Agbadu-Fishim who has post
Usoro’s inauguration, been recommended for dismissal on 4th October
2018 by the National Judicial Council(NJC) and has stopped sitting as a Judge
since 4/10/2018.
Dated
This ……………………………Day of …………………………….2018
THE
UNDERLISTED STATUTORY MEMBERS OF NEC ARE TO SIGN INDIVIDUALLY AND TO MOVE
COLLECTIVELY, UNLESS OTHERWISE THERE MAY
BE ABSTENTIONS:
1.
NATIONAL
OFFICERS
2.
NBA
FORMER PRESIDENTS AND GENERAL SECRETARIES
NBA CURRENT BRANCH
CHAIRMEN, SECRETARIES AND NEC REPS