#THROWBACKTHURSDAY: THE AUGUST 1992 NBA CRISIS: A TALE OF TURMOIL, TENSION, AND THE QUEST FOR RESTORATION PART 1

In August 1992, Nigerians awoke to shocking headlines. The front pages of nearly every newspaper in the country were dominated by one story: the sudden halt of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) elections and the chaotic collapse of its Annual Conference in Port Harcourt. For days, it seemed as though no other issue mattered, what transpired among Nigerian lawyers in the oil-rich city captivated the nation.   

The Brewing Storm 

Signs of the impending crisis had already begun to show at the preceding NBA Conference in Yola. At the heart of the unease was the controversial donation received by the NBA from the Ibrahim Babangida led military administration for hosting the African Bar Association Conference. Though a committee led by Chief G.C.M. Onyuike, SAN, had investigated and concluded that the money belonged to the NBA and that no wrongdoing had occurred, suspicion and dissatisfaction lingered within the Association. The matter resurfaced during the presidential address in Port Harcourt, causing discomfort among delegates who believed it was a tactic to discredit their preferred candidate.   

A Charged Electoral Contest 

Four prominent lawyers were in the running for the NBA presidency: Mrs. Priscilla Kuye (the incumbent), Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu (rumored to have federal government backing), Mr. Segun Onakoya (a former General Secretary of the NBA), and the radical advocate Mr. Kanmi Ishola-Oshobu, popularly known as “The People’s Lawyer.” At the time, there was a growing perception that the NBA presidency was a springboard to becoming Attorney General of the Federation, as had been the case with to previous presidents. Consequently, the stakes for the Association’s Presidency were high, and the atmosphere in Port Harcourt was tense. 

The Portharcourt conference drew an unprecedented number of attendees—estimates ranged from 5,000 to as many as 8,000 participants. This unprecedented turnout overwhelmed the accreditation process, which was already being questioned due to allegations that non-lawyers, like tailors and electricians, were being registered fraudulently to bolster the voting numbers of some Candidates.   

Money, Power, and Legal Manoeuvres 

As the race heated up, allegations of financial inducement surfaced. Candidates were said to be sponsoring delegates—covering transport, accommodation, and even handing out pocket money—all in a bid to sway the vote. This practice compromised the integrity of the process and deepened mistrust. 

On August 28, 1992, while the main conference continued at the Civic Centre, a parallel legal drama unfolded at the High Court of Rivers State. Four members of the Association led by Mr. Femi Falana filed a suit challenging the conduct of the elections. The reliefs they sought included the publication of an authenticated voter list and an injunction to halt the dissolution of the current NBA executive until proper procedures were followed. Justice FNC Agumagu granted an interim injunction against the NBA election. 

As Conference proceedings at the Civic Centre continued, a bailiff from the High Court walked into the venue and served the court order directly to Mrs. Kuye. She handed it to the General Secretary, Mr. Olateru-Olagbegi, who began to read it aloud. However, as he commenced reading, one E.L. Yakubu snatched the microphone from him. “What followed was an unprecedented pandemonium with distinguished members of the Bar storming the high table where the President and National officer were. Violence broke out, the microphone was broken, the podium overturned, and bedlam ensued with lawyers running helter-skelter” – Olanrewaji Akinsola.