NBA ex-president Akeredolu breaks jinx

A former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chief Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN made history over the weekend when he became the first former NBA president to be elected as executive governor.

Akeredolu took over the reins of the NBA from Chief Olisa Agbakoba SAN. He was NBA President 2008 - 2010 before he handed over to Joseph Bodunrin Daudu SAN.

By 1999 when Nigeria returned to constitutional democracy, Agbakoba SAN and Chief Ojo SAN were two past NBA presidents that showed serious interest in contesting for political office.

Olisa Agbakoba, human rights activist a was the presidential candidate for Green Party which was registered in 2003 by INEC along with late Chief Gani Fawehinmi’s National Conscience Party (NCP) and 21 other parties. Bayo Ojo contested for the 2007 Kogi State governorship election. They both lost in the elections.

In November 2009, Akeredolu as NBA president faced allegations of corruption which were subsequently dropped by the National Executive Council (NEC) of the association.

He is no novice in political circles as he was the candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the 2012 governorship election, which he lost.

Surprisingly, in 2012, the NBA named its new secretariat in Abuja after him with its president citing the reason being the need for “generational identification and recognition of those who have contributed immensely to the development of the association.” This came as a surprise after the accusations of corruption earlier leveled against him by the welfare secretary and assistant financial secretary.