Yesterday, Tuesday, 10 November 2026, the NBA Owerri Branch, at its Extraordinary General Meeting, impeached its Chairman, Prof. Mazi Udegbulem, after about four months in office.
The controversy dates back to August 2026, when the Government of Imo State donated the sum of N100 million to NBA Owerri to facilitate members’ movement to the Annual General Conference (AGC).
Following allegations concerning the funds, members served the Chairman, Prof. Udegbulem, with a notice of removal on 28 September 2026, after their September Monthly General Meeting held on 26 September 2026.
At the said meeting, the Chairman purportedly set up a five-man committee to investigate himself, despite objections by members that he could not be a judge in his own case.
Following this controversy, 183 members of the Bar, coordinated by Chinedu Agu, requisitioned a meeting of the NBA for 10 October 2026. However, the Chairman locked the Bar Centre and deployed policemen to prevent members from accessing the premises.
The requisitionists subsequently rescheduled the meeting to 15 October 2026. The President of the NBA, Mrs. Oyinkasola Badejo-Okunsanya, SAN, directed the Chairman to allow the meeting to hold, following his appeal to the President for intervention.
The President then constituted a three-member committee to investigate the allegations of misappropriation and directed the committee to be present at the meeting of 15 October.
At the meeting, members welcomed the committee constituted by the President but insisted on setting up their own committee to investigate the allegations independently of the President’s three-member committee.
Consequently, a five-member committee, led by Chidi Nworka, was constituted by the Branch, while the initial committee set up by the Chairman at the September General Meeting was disbanded by the General Meeting.
Following the meeting, the Chairman instituted two separate suits, one at the High Court in Aboh Mbaise and another at the Federal High Court, Owerri, seeking to restrain the Nworka-led committee from inviting him for investigation. The suits, however, did not deter the committee, which concluded its investigations on 31 October 2026.
On the evening preceding the NBA General Meeting scheduled for 31 October, the Chairman filed a fresh suit seeking to prevent the Branch from discussing his removal, having discovered that the matter was listed as an item on the agenda circulated by the Secretary for consideration at the meeting.
In a bid to ensure that his removal was not discussed at the meeting, the Chairman allegedly populated the venue with non-lawyers, some of whom were suspected to be cult boys, law students, other students from Imo State University, and thugs.
The meeting became chaotic as his supporters and the allegedly hired crowd shouted down dissenting voices. The Chairman also ruled out of order anyone who attempted to discuss his removal or the report of the Branch’s investigative committee, including a respected senior lawyer and former Chairman, Dec Madu.
In protest, senior members of the Bar and past Chairmen staged a walkout. Among them were the Doyen of the Owerri Bar, Chief Mike Ahamba, SAN; Emeka Nwagwu, SAN; Dec Madu; and former Secretary, Willie Opara.
The meeting lasted barely 40 minutes, with the Chairman deliberately refusing to discuss other matters on the agenda.
Following the ugly developments at the meeting of 31 October, 251 members of the Bar, jointly coordinated by Chuks Agbugba and Chinedu Agu, requisitioned another Extraordinary General Meeting for Tuesday, 10 November 2026, at 2 p.m. at the Bar Centre.
The Chairman again made moves to stop the meeting, including filing a fourth suit at the Federal High Court, Owerri, naming the two coordinators of the requisition, Messrs. Agbugba and Agu, among the respondents.
Undeterred by the fourth suit, which members considered frivolous, they gathered en masse at the Bar Centre for the meeting.
Not sighting the Chairman and with only one member of the Executive Committee present, Chimere Okoronkwo, the most senior member of the Bar in attendance, Emeka Nwagwu, SAN, moved a motion that the next most senior member, Dec Madu, should preside over the meeting, while the Publicity Secretary, Chimere Okoronkwo, would act as Secretary.
However, as Madu approached the rostrum to preside over the meeting, the Chairman emerged from his office and, alongside some of his supporters, intercepted him, insisting that the meeting would not hold.
It took the intervention of four former Chairmen—Emeka Nwagwu, SAN; Dec Madu; D. O. Nosike; and J. I. Ogamba—to restore calm. They approached the Chairman and urged him to preside over the meeting, explaining that Madu had been asked to chair only because members believed the Chairman was absent.
The Chairman subsequently called the meeting to order.
In his opening remarks, he stated that he had not convened the meeting because its propriety had been challenged in court.
Following his remarks, Chinedu Agu moved a motion calling on the Chairman to recuse himself to enable members to deliberate on his removal. The motion was supported by Ugonna Onuegbu.
All attempts to rule Agu out of order proved futile, as Agu proceeded to move a second motion for the Chairman’s removal. The motion was seconded by Chukwuemeka Anyanwu and received overwhelming vocal support from members present at the meeting.
The Chairman and his supporters then attempted to disrupt the proceedings, prompting L. U. N. Nwakaeti, another former Chairman, to introduce voting by voice and a show of hands.
A show of hands was conducted, but members subsequently suggested that the counting of votes be carried out at the Hon. Justice P. C. Onumajulu Square.
At the Square, all 215 members present voted in favour of the Chairman’s removal, with no dissenting vote recorded.
In an attempt to disrupt the counting of votes, the Chairman grabbed and broke the microphone to prevent the recording of the votes. Members resisted his action and recovered the broken microphone from him.
The Chairman thereafter hurriedly left the premises amid verbal attacks from angry members.
Following his removal, the report of the Nworka-led committee was read to members. The report detailed alleged incidents of misappropriation and embezzlement involving the Chairman.
The report indicted the Chairman, the Treasurer, the Chairman of the Logistics Planning Committee, and the Alternate Chairman of the Committee, making far-reaching recommendations against them. The report was subsequently adopted by the meeting.
Several motions were thereafter moved on the floor of the House following the presentation of the report.
These included motions for the removal of the Chairman as an administrator of all NBA Owerri WhatsApp platforms; for banks to be formally notified not to honour any instrument issued by the Chairman and Treasurer; for disciplinary action to be taken against identified members who disrupted the meeting at the Chairman’s behest; and for the Vice Chairman to assume office as Acting Chairman.
The report of the Presidential Committee, which also reportedly detailed incidents of diversion of funds involving the Chairman, was posted on all NBA Owerri platforms for members’ information.
The meeting ended with members locking up the Bar Centre before departing the premises.
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