The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ibadan Branch, has announced its decision to boycott the 2026/2027 New Legal Year ceremony organised by the Oyo State Judiciary. This decision was made after deliberations on recent administrative directives from the judiciary leadership, particularly the exclusion of the Bar chairman's address from the event. The branch's publicity secretary, Mr Raheed Khan, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday night in Ibadan.
According to the Ibadan NBA branch, the boycott decision was unanimously reached at its General Meeting convened on Saturday. The branch emphasised that the administration of justice relies on a sacred symbiosis between the Bench and the Bar as co-equal custodians of the rule of law. It noted that the annual New Legal Year ceremony serves as an institution of accountability, reflection, and constructive discourse, rather than a mere judicial pageant.
The Ibadan NBA branch stated that its chairman's address serves as the canonical medium through which the Bar presents systemic observations and advocates for judicial efficiency. The judiciary leadership's unilateral decision to exclude the Bar chairman's address was considered an existential affront to the Bar's collective dignity. The branch argued that denying the Bar its historic voice during a state ceremony would relegate legal practitioners to mere passive spectators.
In response to the judiciary's decision, the NBA Ibadan branch will hold an independent New Legal Year ceremony on Monday at 10:00 a.m. at the Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, Bar Centre, NTC Road, Ibadan. Participants will be fully robed in wig and gown. The branch's collective absence from the judiciary's ceremonies and presence at the Bar Centre aims to send an unmistakable message.
The Oyo State judiciary had scheduled the 2026/2027 Legal Year Service to be held on Monday at two locations: the Cathedral of St. James, Oke-Bola, Ibadan, and the Oyo State Judiciary Mosque, High Court Premises, Ring Road, Ibadan. The Ibadan NBA branch's decision to boycott the event and hold an alternative ceremony has sparked attention within the legal community.
The NBA Ibadan branch emphasised that history measures a Bar not by the ease of its compliance, but by the firmness of its convictions. The branch stated that it stood united, unshaken, and unbroken in the face of the judiciary's decision, adding that its actions would set a precedent for the profession's future.
The boycott decision by the NBA Ibadan branch highlights the ongoing dynamics between the Bench and the Bar in Nigeria's judicial system. The development has raised questions about the role of the Bar in the administration of justice and the extent of its involvement in judicial ceremonies.
Key points
- The NBA Ibadan branch boycotts the Oyo judiciary's New Legal Year ceremony due to the exclusion of the Bar chairman's address.
- The branch will hold an independent New Legal Year ceremony at the Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, Bar Centre, NTC Road, Ibadan.
- The boycott decision aims to assert the Bar's dignity and role in the administration of justice.
