By Chibuike Nwabuko
ABUJA ( PRECISE POST) – Human rights lawyer and former chairman of Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, has criticised the leadership selection process in the Abakaliki branch of the Nigerian Bar Association, describing the development as a dangerous trend capable of undermining the association’s leadership standards.
Odinkalu, in a statement posted on X handle on Monday, alleged that aspirants seeking to contest for the position of chairman of the Abakaliki branch of the NBA, popularly known as the “Salt Bar” in Abakaliki, were required to pay a non-refundable fee of N200,000 to express interest in the office.
According to him, six members of the branch initially paid the fee for the ongoing election cycle, but at least two of the aspirants have either withdrawn or may no longer pursue their ambitions.
The senior advocate of accountability warned that the growing monetisation of leadership contests within the NBA could erode the integrity of the association if urgent reforms are not introduced.
He called on the NBA President, Afam Osigwe, and the national leadership of the association to take decisive action by harmonising the requirements and processes for branch leadership elections across the country.
Odinkalu argued that failure to regulate such practices could reduce leadership contests within the association to the highest bidders, rather than competent and credible members committed to service.
Precise Post recalls that the remarks have sparked conversations within legal circles over the cost of contesting elective positions in professional bodies and the implications for internal democracy within the NBA.
