Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike has sharply criticised the immediate past leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association, accusing it of turning the body into a platform for “traders” and politicising its recent annual conference in Port Harcourt.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Wike, a lawyer and former Rivers State governor, said he avoids events he regards as jamborees or those controlled by people he described as traders. Asked whether he was referring to the leadership under Afam Osigwe, SAN, he replied: “Of course. The last leadership of NBA showed that it was trading.”
He described the just-concluded Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt as one of the worst organised in the association’s history. “NBA had never had that kind of conference since NBA started. It was a complete flop. Organisation was zero,” Wike said. In his view, the gathering should have concentrated on professional issues and the rule of law but was instead used as a platform for opposition politicians to promote themselves.
Wike said he had asked Osigwe what tangible legacy he would claim from his tenure, contrasting this with the expectation that public office holders should be able to point to clear achievements. He also disclosed that the newly elected NBA president, Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, visited him before the association’s election. He told her he would not support her candidacy because some of those backing her were, in his words, traders not genuinely committed to advancing the NBA.
Badejo-Okusanya was sworn in on 28 August 2026 and formally took office on 1 September as the 33rd president of the association, succeeding Osigwe.
Wike’s strongest criticism focused on the association’s approach to the rule of law. He questioned the decision to give prominence at the conference to individuals he accused of previously interfering with the judiciary. Referring to a former governor of the state, he alleged that the courts had been shut down and altered for nearly two years not because of a strike, but through deliberate disruption. In his view, anyone responsible for such actions should not be given a platform at an NBA event.
“When you see such things, you begin to wonder, what kind of NBA is this?” he said. He also raised concerns about the political implications of elevating such figures, asking what would happen if one of them eventually occupied high national office.
Wike’s comments form part of ongoing discussion about the NBA’s role in Nigeria’s political and judicial affairs, particularly its advocacy for judicial independence and constitutional governance. He acknowledged that the new leadership has substantial work ahead to refocus the association on professional and legal priorities.
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