NBA Election Appeals Tribunal Upholds ECNBA’s Disqualification Of Felix Chukwuma Ashimole

The Appellant, an aspirant to the office of the Publicity Secretary of the Nigerian bar Association in the 2022 National Elections of the NBA was disqualified by the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) vide a Notice of Disqualification dated 20th May, 2022 on the ground that the Appellant’s Nominator, Mr. Mohammed Iyorember Tsav, did not attach his Branch Dues receipt, for 2021.

Dissatisfied with the decision of the ECNBA, the Appellant approached this Committee with his Appeal, which was sent as an email to this Committee on 29th May, 2022.

Upholding the disqualification, the NBA Appeals Tribunal held that participation in NBA Election as a nominator is a privilege contingent on payment of branch dues, and a nomination cannot be valid in the absence of such.

IN THE NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION ELECTION APPEALS TRIBUNAL (NBA-NEAC)

PETITION/APPEAL NO: NBA-NEAC/07/22

FELIX CHUKWUMA ASHIMOLE

(PETITIONER/APPELLANT)

AND

THE ELECTORAL COMMITTEE OF THE NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION

(RESPONDENT)

________________________________

DECISION

____________________________________

IN THE NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION NATIONAL ELECTIONS APPEAL COMMITTEE (NBA-NEAC)

PETITION/APPEAL NO:NBA-NEAC/07/22

DECISION

1	PARTIES	FELIX CHUKWUMA ASHIMOLE ——- PETITIONER ELECTORAL COMMITTEE OF THE NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION (ECNBA) —— RESPONDENT
2	PROCEDURAL HISTORY– Date of Petition 20^th May, 2022 -Date of receipt of Appeal – 29^th May, 2022 – Date sent to ECNBA – 29^th May, 2022 – Date of ECNBA’S Response – 3^rd June, 2022 – Date of Petitioner’s Reply – 5^th June, 2022 – Date and Manner of Hearing – 5^th June, 2022 (Virtual & Documentary)
3	DOCUMENTS FILED BY PARTIESFor the Petitioner: i. Petition sent on 29^th May, 2022, as an email. ii. Reply by the Petitioner, sent on 5^th June, 2022, as an email. For ECNBA i. Letter of disqualification dated 20^th May, 2022 ii. Response from the ECNBA dated 2^nd June, 2022
4	APPEAL SUMMARYThe Appellant, an aspirant to the office of the Publicity Secretary of the Nigerian bar Association in the 2022 National Elections of the NBA was disqualified by the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association

	(ECNBA) vide a Notice of Disqualification dated 20^th May, 2022 on the ground that the Appellant’s Nominator, Mr. Mohammed Iyorember Tsav, did not attach his Branch Dues receipt, for 2021. Dissatisfied with the decision of the ECNBA, the Appellant approached this Committee with his Appeal, which was sent as an email to this Committee on 29^th May, 2022.
	i. Reasons forDisqualification (ECNBA’s Position)	That the Appellant’s Nominator, Mr. Mohammed Iyorember Tsav’s evidence of payment of Branch Dues for 2021, was not attached alongside the documents submitted by the Petitioner to the ECNBA.
	ii. Ground(s) of Appeal (Petitioner’s Position)	The Petitioner’s Appeal is predicated on the ground that the non submission of his Nominator’s receipt of payment of Branch dues should not and cannot be a condition for his disqualification.
	iii. Sole Issue forDetermination	Whether attachment of evidence of payment of Branch dues, is a prerequisite for a Nominator to be eligible to nominate a candidate for an Election under the extant Constitution of the Nigerian Bar Association?
	iv. Findings by the NBA – NEAC	1. Based on the documentary evidence before us, the Petitioner did not attach evidence of payment of Branch Dues, for 2021, by his Nominator, Mr. Mohammed Iyorember Tsav, to the Petitioner’s nomination form.2. In line with the provision of Part IV Paragraph 10 of the Second Schedule to the NBA Constitution, and Section 4(c) of the same Constitution, payment of dues including Branch Dues is a condition precedent and a prerequisite for a valid nomination for election, and the only way to show proof of payment by a nominator of a candidate, is to attach a copy of it to a

		candidate’s nomination form. See alsoParagraph 5.5 of the extant Elections Guidelines. 3. The Petitioner’s attempt to make a heavy weather out of a correspondence exchanged between him and the ECNBA, wherein he was mistakenly referred to as a contestant for the office of Assistant Publicity Secretary instead of the position of Publicity Secretary he applied for, was a non issue, as in our view, this was a minor error, which did not affect the decision of the ECNBA to disqualify him. 4. We also find as a fact, that evidence or proof of payment of Branch Dues, for three (3) consecutive years, is a prerequisite for all aspirants or candidates, their nominators and seconders, irrespective of the position that a candidate is vying for in the elections in issue. Therefore, the minor clerical error in the notice of disqualification issued by the ECNBA to the Appellant does not go to the root of the Appellant’s complaint.
5	DECISION
	It is the decision of the Committee that participation in NBA’s Elections, whether as a Candidate or Nominator, is a privilege conferred by the NBA Constitution, which is contingent on the payment of annual and branch dues as the case may be. See Section 4(c) of the Constitution of the NBA. Since there was no evidence before this Committee by the Petitioner of attachment of payment receipt by Mr. Mohammed Iyorember Tsav of the 2021 Branch Dues, to the Appellant’s nomination form, which is a prerequisite for a valid nomination, the decision of the ECNBA to disqualify him was in order and validly made.
	Therefore, this Appeal lacks merit and ought to be dismissed and it is accordingly dismissed.
6	DIRECTIVE(S) None.