John Aikpokpo-Martins Breaks Silence, Rebuts NBA Claims on SPIDEL Election Crisis
Former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law, SPIDEL, Mr. John Aikpokpo-Martins, has issued a detailed rejoinder directly challenging claims made by the NBA leadership concerning the conduct of the 2025 SPIDEL elections in Uyo.
In a statement dated 17 December 2025, Mr. Aikpokpo-Martins responded to a publication signed by the 1st Vice President of the NBA, Mr. Sabastine Anyia, which asserted that the intervention of the NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe SAN, was necessary to avert an electoral crisis within SPIDEL.
Mr. Aikpokpo-Martins explained that he had deliberately avoided public commentary on the SPIDEL controversy but was compelled to respond after being personally referenced in the NBA publication. He stated:
“I consciously took the decision to avoid getting embroiled in the raging controversy surrounding SPIDEL… However, the deliberate and specific reference to me in the said press release leaves me no choice but to respond, in order to defend my name and professional reputation.”
The full statement is below:
RE: ALL DECISIONS TAKEN IN UYO WERE TO ENSURE THAT ANOTHER CRISIS WAS AVERTED IN SPIDEL – Clarification on Press Release of 13th December, 2025 by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
“For the sake of institutional integrity and to avoid misleading the wider Bar community, it is necessary to clarify the issues raised and correct the inaccuracies” contained in the press release dated 13th December, 2025, signed by Sabastine Anyia, the 1st Vice President, particularly as they pertain to me.
As the Chairman of the Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL) in 2024, I was a key figure in the crisis that unfolded between the NBA President, Y.C. Maikyau, SAN, and the executives and members of SPIDEL during that period. So, for personal reasons, I consciously took the decision to avoid getting embroiled in the raging controversy surrounding SPIDEL.
Furthermore, I have also exercised restraint and chosen not to engage in public discourse on the matter, despite the provocations in deference to appeals from respected senior leaders of the Bar. However, the deliberate and specific reference to me in the said press release leaves me no choice but to respond, in order to defend my name and professional reputation.
The leadership of the NBA in paragraph 4 of the press release stated that "the leadership of the NBA also became privy to the decision of the purported electoral committee to clear John Aikpokpo-Martins to be returned unopposed as the candidate for the chairmanship of SPIDEL despite clear constitutional provisions that bar him from running for the same office for a second term." With due respect, this assertion is factually incorrect. Article 11(b)(ii) of the NBA Constitution provides as follows:
"An elected or nominated member (of the executive committee) holds office from the conclusion of the biennial conference of the Association at which he or she is elected/sworn in until the conclusion of the 2nd biennial conference of the Association next following the 1st biennial conference AND he or she shall be eligible for re-election until the conclusion of the next biennial conference. Elected or nominated members who have served for 2 years shall not be eligible for re-election."
It is a fact that I did not hold office nor did I serve for 2 years as the chairman of SPIDEL…..I served for only 8 months. It is misleading therefore to state that I was clearly constitutionally barred from running for the same office for a 2nd term. There was indeed no 1st term, having not served from one biennial conference to another as constitutionally provided. The said article 11(b) ii further provides that
“…..AND he or she shall be eligible for re-election until the conclusion of the next biennial conference.”
The SPIDEL Electoral Committee led by Kunle Edun, Esq., was therefore on firm ground when it cleared me as qualified to contest for the chairmanship of SPIDEL contrary to the unpalatable aspersions deliberately contrived to besmirch the integrity of Kunle Edun SAN, members of his electoral committee and my humble self for no justifiable reason.
Again, in paragraph 5 of the said press release, the NBA leadership alleged that they discovered that "despite the myriad of constitutional breaches, the purported electoral committee had also drawn up a list of what appeared to be hand-picked nominees of John Aikpokpo-Martins to be equally returned unopposed as elected officers of SPIDEL." I find this defamatory statement to be terribly unbecoming, speculative and an unwarranted attack of my person, the integrity of the Electoral Committee and the sensibilities of lawyers. The process of nominations was transparent and opened to all members, with no evidence of "hand-picking" as implied.
I was so disappointed that the NBA leadership could actually made this very unbecoming, speculative and defamatory statement, wherein they calculatedly sought to malign my name and impugn on the integrity of Kunle Edun SAN and other great men and women of integrity in the electoral committee. This was a process that was transparent and opened to all members. I wonder how the NBA leadership came to the untenable and malicious impression and conclusion that “the …..Electoral committee had drawn up a list of what appeared to be hand-picked nominees of John Aikpokpo-Martins to be equally returned unopposed as elected officers of SPIDEL.”
In this statement, the NBA leadership unwittingly confirmed that their real grouse.
Nonetheless, I wish to put it on record that on December 2, 2025 at the “all stakeholders” meeting in Uyo, which was in fact convened by Prof. Paul Ananaba, SAN, I voluntarily stepped down from the chairmanship race to de-escalate tensions, to avoid being the focal point of controversy and from being perceived as a power-monger with insatiable thirst for power or relevance. However, I firmly registered my objection to what transpired that night, right, at the meeting.
I had no intention to speak on this issue publicly, except that I have been compelled by the ill-advised press release and to defend myself from the needless attacks on my person by my friends in the NBA.
While there are several other inaccuracies and half-truths in the press release that I could address, I choose to exercise restraint out of respect for the institution and senior leaders of the Bar. I remain committed to upholding decency and professionalism in the practice of law and in NBA politics."
John Aikpokpo-Martins
17/12/2025
The rejoinder has intensified debate within the Nigerian legal community, particularly as it relates to constitutional interpretation, due process, and the role of NBA leadership in the internal affairs of its sections. The controversy has also drawn renewed attention to SPIDEL’s 2025 conference theme, A Banner Without Stain, as many observers question whether the events in Uyo were consistent with the values publicly proclaimed by the Section, while expressing concern over the role played by the NBA President in precipitating the crisis rather than preventing it.
