*Says Egbe Amofin Resolves To Snub NBA-AGM, Accuses Members Of Betrayal

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Niyi Akintola has taken a swipe at immediate past President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Olumide Akpata.

According to Akintola, Akpata is a transactional lawyer and has never practised law. He said Akpata has never practised law and the scenario at the NBA-AGM is not surprising.

Akintola who was responding to a question about the fisticuff that ensued at the just concluded NBA-AGM on a radio program monitored by ASKLEGALPALACE, at Fresh FM in Ibadan anchored by Isaac Brown, said,

“That boy (Olu Akpata) is a transactional lawyer, he has never practiced law, he’s a businessman so the scenario at the bar conference is not surprising… Did you see any Supreme Court judge at the conference? He called former CJN ostrich! No notable senior member of the bar was at the conference because we all resolved not to have anything to do with the boy”.

According to Akintola SAN, Egbe Amofin, the umbrella body of Yoruba lawyers before Akpata’s election distanced itself from him, and also maintained that position throughout his administration.

He however lamented to some betrayers doused the force of their boycott.

He said, “We at the Egbe Amofin took a unified stance not to dignify that boy with our presence. Unfortunately, some of our people who took that decision alongside of us betrayed that trust.

That decision was reached here in Ibadan. Chief Olanipekun was the Leader of Egbe Amofin, and I was his Vice. I and Chief Olanipekun have religiously abided by that decision, however, some of our boys and girls decided to go their ways because they wanted to be in government. They wanted positions”.

Akintola further lamented what he called poverty of values amongst lawyers. He said, when we came into the profession, we held our elders in high esteem. Their words were laws. Whatever they say, we follow. But this sore soke generation came up and they stepped out to ruin the legal profession.

It would be recalled that few weeks before the end of his tenure, Akpata was in a long-drawn war with some senior members over the Bar especially with respect to a controversial letter he wrote to the Chairman of the Body of Benchers, Wole Olanipekun SAN, calling for his resignation.