THE KANO DEBACLE THROWS THE JUDICIARY INTO QUAGMIRE OF RIDICULE Kano Debacle In the 18 March 2023 Kano State gubernatorial election, Abba Yusuf, the candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) was declared winner. He defeated Yusuf Gawuna of the All Progressives Congress (APC). As expected, all roads led to the Kano State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal. The Tribunal sacked Abba Yusuf and declared his namesake, Yusuf Gawuna, as winner.  Abba Yusuf proceeded to the Court of Appeal. The events that unfolded were as though Kano State and indeed, the whole of Nigeria were invite ..read more

One early Sunday morning, I woke up to cold winds amidst the relentless rains pouring in Lagos for the past couple of days. Shortly before noon, I visited a supermarket in Lagos to pick up a few items. The motorway was free, the streets were less busy, and the drizzle was bearable.  Parking outside was seamless, and as I walked in, I was drawn to the sound of some good music playing at a moderate volume. I paused and listened, curiously. It was Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad, behind the sound system. In the past few days, the voice of the recently deceased singer-so ..read more

PEPT JUDGMENTS: THE FIRST THING WE DO, LET’S KILL ALL THE LAWYERS? The Court of Appeal which sat as the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) delivered its judgments on 6 September 2023. The Judgments pertain to the election petition cases filed by the Labour Party (LP), People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and their party flagbearers during the concluded 2023 presidential elections.  The summary of the decisions is that the PEPT upheld the election of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the President of Nigeria. It dismissed all the contentions of the petition ..read more

NBA-AGC  The Annual General Conference (AGC) of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) is arguably the largest gathering of lawyers in Africa. When Nigerian lawyers gather at the AGC, they invite men and women of high repute, from various works of life. These personalities (which include world leaders, top government officials, business executives, and icons) join in rich conversations geared towards addressing issues of national importance. This year’s AGC which held in Abuja is the 63rd in the series. The theme was “Getting it Right: Charting the Course for Nigeria’s Nation Building.” Beyon ..read more

Introduction Prof. Cyril Osim Ndifon is a Professor of Law, professing in the areas of Comparative Criminal Law, International Humanitarian Law and International Criminal Law. He also professes in female anatomy, if the allegations of the law students of the University of Calabar, Nigeria (UNICAL) are anything to go by. Prof. Ndifon rose through the ranks to become the Dean, Faculty of Law, UNICAL. He has held many positions in the University. He has also served in various committees. These include Senate Examination Malpractice Committee, Senate Examination Results Vetting Committee, Anti-Cor ..read more

By a press release published on 19 August 2023, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) announced that it has filed some petitions at the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) against some lawyers including one Ifunanya Excel Grant, a young lawyer of Aba Branch, widely known as “the Baddest Lawyer”. The news of the petition relating to Ifunanya in particular was received with mixed reactions especially among lawyers within the legal community. I share my thoughts below. Allegations against “Baddest Lawyer” I am yet to peruse the contents of the petition filed by the NBA. But according t ..read more

DOES THE NICN HAVE THE POWER TO APPLY UNRATIFIED INTERNATIONAL LEGAL INSTRUMENTS RELATING TO EMPLOYMENT? The application of what is constitutionally expressed as “international best practices in labour” and “international labour standards” by the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) has been the subject of serious controversies. In recent times, the NICN has been consistent in its idea of upholding and applying the principles of international best practices and international labour standards in resolving employment-related cases. This is notwithstanding the weight of legal arguments bei ..read more

HARMONISATION OF ISSUES FOR DETERMINATION AS A CASE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY Case management strategy is key to the effective determination of disputes in litigation. An example of a case management strategy is the idea of harmonisation of legal issues for determination. Issues for determination are questions posed by parties to a case through their respective counsel. It is one of the core components of any written address usually filed to present legal arguments and submissions of counsel in support of their cases. In most rules of court, the filing of written addresses is required as a matter of ..read more

MMESOMA HAD A DATE WITH FATE: TO MAKE IT OR BREAK IT Determined to set a new record in the annual Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), Mmesoma Ejikeme had a date with fate: to make it or break it. Mmesoma participated in the 2023 UTME, a computer-based standardized test administered by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB). She passed the exams with a score of 249 but she preferred to go the way of “419” by forging her scores and producing a fake result of 362. With great composure, she firmly defended her fraudulent action, but later went on a full 360° to admit he ..read more

Introduction On 27 June 2023, members of the Nigerian Bar Association, Lagos Branch (“NBA Lagos Branch” or “the Branch”) will be at the polls to decide the next chairman of the Branch to take over from the current Chairman, Mr. Ikechuwku Uwanna. Over the years and till date, NBA Lagos Branch has served the interests of its members by promoting the institutional core objectives of the Branch. Also, NBA Lagos Branch continues to play a pivotal role in the overall affairs of the national body. Just recently, one of the Branch’s most priced assets, Mr. Olumide Akpata, served as the President of th ..read more