Mazi Afam Osigwe, President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), has defended the filing of a disciplinary petition against Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Chief Jibrin Samuel Okutepa. The petition, submitted to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC), questions whether full disclosure was made to the court in an ex parte application linked to Suit No. I/221/2026, filed in Ibadan. That suit, in which Okutepa served as lead counsel, secured temporary orders halting the activities of the NBA's Electoral Committee ahead of the 2026 national elections.
Osigwe clarified the action is not about challenging Okutepa's right to represent clients but concerns the accuracy and completeness of information presented during the urgent hearing. He noted the Electoral Committee was approved at an NEC meeting in Benin City, where a motion was moved, seconded, and carried, with Okutepa present and actively participating. A communiqué and video footage confirm his attendance, and Osigwe argued that key facts known to Okutepa may not have been disclosed to the court. "Lawyers have a stricter duty in such applications because the court relies completely on their good faith," Osigwe stated.
Okutepa has denied any misconduct, accusing the NBA leadership of institutional overreach. The LPDC will now review the petition.
The petition against Jibrin Okutepa turns on whether a lawyer's personal knowledge of an event must be disclosed in an ex parte application, even when representing a client. If upheld, this could set a precedent that tightens ethical obligations for senior lawyers in emergency court filings. For Nigerian legal practitioners, the outcome may redefine the boundaries between zealous representation and procedural transparency. This is not about silencing dissent but clarifying the weight of truth in urgent judicial processes.
