Osigwe, Okutepa fight dirty over LPDC petition

Osigwe

A fresh controversy has emerged within Nigeria’s legal community following a petition by the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe (SAN), seeking the removal of senior lawyer, Chief Jibrin Okutepa (SAN), from the Body of Benchers.

The petition was reportedly filed before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee and the Body of Benchers.

Okutepa, in a reaction, however, accused the NBA President of abuse of office and misuse of power.

Reacting on X (formerly Twitter) to the development, Okutepa said, “I am not afraid of your manipulations,” insisting that the move against him was both unjustified and targeted.

He alleged that the NBA President went beyond filing a petition and engaged in actions aimed at undermining his standing within the legal profession.

“The NBA President did not stop at just filing the petition against me as the 1st claimant in one of the cases.

“But in the most unfortunate abuse of power and corrupt use of office and power, Mr Osigwe SAN proceeded to use his office and position to lobby those who have responsibilities to educate him not to do so,” he said.

Okutepa further claimed that the alleged lobbying was specifically intended to block his reappointment to the Body of Benchers.

“He sought to cause my name to be removed from the list of those to be re-appointed as members of the Body of Benchers,” he added.

The senior advocate maintained that he would not be intimidated by the actions, stressing that he remained committed to upholding the rule of law and integrity within the profession.

“I am not afraid. No amount of pressure or manipulation will deter me from standing for what is right,” he said.

Responding to Okutepa’s tweet, Osigwe defended his petition against Okutepa, insisting that the move was rooted in “professional accountability” rather than any form of witch-hunt.