NBA Ibadan Boycotts Oyo Judiciary’s New Legal Year Over Bar Chairman’s Exclusion
The NBA Ibadan Branch has boycotted the Oyo State Judiciary’s 2026/2027 New Legal Year activities after alleging that its chairman was prevented from addressing the official ceremony, prompting the branch to organise a parallel event.
A Dispute Over the Bar’s Voice
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ibadan Branch, has boycotted activities marking the Oyo State Judiciary’s 2026/2027 New Legal Year after a dispute over the participation of its chairman in the official ceremony.
The branch announced the decision following a general meeting held on Saturday, saying it was particularly concerned by the decision to prevent its chairman, Adekola Kareem, from delivering an address at the judiciary’s ceremony. The position was announced by the branch’s Publicity Secretary, Raheed Khan.
According to the NBA branch, the traditional address provides an opportunity for the Bar to raise systemic concerns and make recommendations on the administration of justice. It argued that excluding the Bar’s representative undermines the established relationship between the Bench and the Bar.
The Bar Holds Its Own Ceremony
Rather than participate in the judiciary’s programme, the Ibadan Branch organised a separate New Legal Year ceremony for October 5 at the Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, Bar Centre in Ibadan, with members directed to attend fully robed.
The Oyo State Judiciary, meanwhile, proceeded with its own Legal Year services at the Cathedral of St. James, Oke-Bola, and the Oyo State Judiciary Mosque at the High Court premises, Ring Road.
The dispute has therefore produced an unusual situation in which the Bench and a major branch of the Bar are marking the beginning of the same legal year through separate events.
Beyond a Ceremony
The disagreement raises a broader question about the relationship between professional representation and judicial administration.
For the NBA Ibadan Branch, the issue goes beyond speaking at a ceremony. The branch says the Bar must retain an institutional voice through which lawyers can identify problems within the justice system and advocate improvements.
The Oyo State Government, meanwhile, called for harmony within the NBA branches in the state and urged judges, Senior Advocates and senior lawyers to help resolve the disagreement. Speaking on Monday, Deputy Governor Adebayo Lawal also reaffirmed the government's commitment to an independent and adequately resourced judiciary.
The immediate controversy may centre on a New Legal Year address, but its significance lies in what it says about the working relationship between the Bar and Bench. Whether the present disagreement becomes a temporary dispute or prompts a broader conversation about how both institutions engage one another will depend on what follows the competing ceremonies.
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