Olanipekun speaks as NBA asks him to step down as Body of Benchers chairman

Senior lawyer Wole Olanipekun says he is yet to officially receive the viral letter from the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) requesting him to step down as chairman of the Body of Benchers (BOB).

In June, a partner in Olanipekun’s law firm Adekunbi Ogunde attempted to snatch a client of another senior lawyer Odein Ajumogobia. The incident has been widely condemned among lawyers.

NBA president Olumide Akpata, in a letter dated July 22 and addressed to Olanipekun, urged the senior advocate to make way for an interim BOB chairman to guarantee justice and fairness in a probe against Olanipekun’s law firm over the incident.

The NBA said it would be in the interest of justice if Olanipekun steps down as BOB chairman considering the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC), which has received NBA’s petition against Olanipekun’s law firm, is a committee under the supervision of the BOB chairman.