A group of members of the Nigerian Bar Association, or NBA, Keffi Branch, formally started the process of suspending the branch’s Executive Committee and appointing an interim caretaker committee, sparking a leadership crisis inside the branch.
The displeased members used pertinent clauses of the NBA Uniform Bye-Laws (2020, as amended) and the Association’s Constitution in a notice of requisition sent to the Branch Secretary at the High Court Complex, Keffi, on February 25, 2026, to demand a congress to discuss purported irregularities in the branch’s management.
Concerns raised by the January general meeting and the ensuing emergency congress on February 20, 2026, were mentioned by the signatories.
The announcement said that the January meeting would now take place on February 19. However, on the same day, members were invited to an emergency congress to nominate Electoral Committee members, which was set for February 20 at noon.
The Executive Committee allegedly called the emergency meeting later than scheduled and moved forward with the nomination process in spite of members’ protests that it was illegal to do so during an emergency session, according to the requisitionists.
They further claimed that, in the face of floor protests, the Branch Chairman had overruled a point of order by citing constitutional rules and reading out names for nomination for the Electoral Committee.
The Branch Secretary was accused of presiding over the Constitution, Legal, and Human Rights Committee’s discussions while allegedly not attending the congress and not holding the necessary position.
Additionally, the group said that the minutes of the February 20 meeting were improperly distributed to members and did not fairly represent the proceedings.
Despite what they said was member rejection, they claimed that those allegedly selected to the Electoral Committee were sworn in following the congress.
Concerns regarding the lack of explicit plans for an annual general meeting are raised by the notice, which states that the existing Executive Committee “cannot function and conduct an election within the time frame provided by law.”
