Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe, FCIArb (UK), has publicly distanced himself from the recent decision of Egbe Amoofin Oodu’a to adopt a sole candidate for the 2026 Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Presidential Elections. In a statement issued to clarify what he described as mounting questions from supporters and associates, the former Chairman of the NBA Lagos Branch insisted that the process leading to the adoption was undemocratic and predetermined, lacking any objective parameters or transparent screening.
Akangbe confirmed that while a five-member committee was constituted by Egbe Amoofin’s leadership to facilitate a consensus among Yoruba aspirants, the talks failed to achieve unanimity as no aspirant agreed to step down. He maintained that his ambition to contest the NBA presidency remains steadfast, urging his supporters and the legal community to disregard the purported adoption, which he described as the decision of a minority imposed through a flawed process.
Read full statement below;
RE: STATEMENT OF LATEEF OMOYEMI AKANGBE SAN; ON THE ADOPTION OF A SOLE CANDIDATE FOR NBA PRESIDENT by EGBE AMOOFIN OODU’A
Following the recent decision of the Egbe Amoofin Oodu’a to adopt one candidate as its sole candidate for the forthcoming NBA 2026 Presidential Elections, there have been a lot of questions and enquiries by my supporters, associates and well wishers about the process that led to that outcome. To that end , it has become necessary to clarify this issue and set the records straight.
As a responsible member of the Egbe Amoofin Oodu’a, I hereby confirm that a 5-member committee (the Committee) was set up by the leadership of Egbe Amoofin Oodu’a with the sole mandate of prevailing on all Yoruba aspirants to produce a consensus candidate from the South West for the office of the NBA President in the forthcoming elections.
The Committee met with the aspirants individually and then collectively with a view to producing a sole candidate. The Committee, however, failed to achieve their mandate, as none of the aspirants, was willing to step down.
I made it clear, at all times during the deliberations that any process that was undemocratic or predetermined to achieve a set outcome would be unacceptable to me.
I wish to state without fear of contradiction that no form of screening exercise took place in adopting a candidate nor was any objective parameter set by the Committee prior to coming to its decision. I therefore consider this decision as an attempt at an undemocratic imposition by the leadership of Egbe Amoofin Oodu’a.
In view of this development, I wish to inform everyone that my aspiration to run for the highest office in the NBA has not changed and I remain committed to seeing my ambition through in the interest of the legal profession in Nigeria.
I, urge all my supporters, loyalists, friends, associates both within and outside the Egbe Amofin Oodu’a to discountenance the adoption of any aspirant as the sole candidate of the Yoruba or South West at the forthcoming election as the decision is that of a minority through a most undemocratic and pre-deternined process.
I re-emphasize that my aspiration to contest for the Presidency of the NBA in 2026 remains intact.
Thank you for your support and well wishes.
LATEEF OMOYEMI AKANGBE SAN, FCIArb(UK)
Bencher Former Chairman, NBA Lagos Branch
