Mazi Afam Osigwe SAN has emerged as the president-elect of the Nigerian Bar Association conducted yesterday July 2024. The election came to an end at Midnight.

Already, Osigwe has given a victory speech where he thanked God for victory and urged his ardent followers to be magnanimous in victory, reminding them that there is work ahead to be done.

As at midday, July 20, Osigwe led the other two candidates with 18607 votes, followed by Tobenna Ejirokwe who scored 10100 votes. Chukwuka Ikwuazom came third with 8620 votes. Ikwuazom however withdrew from the elections while was on citing that the ‘integrity of the election has been compromised’.

Ikwuazom, in a statement he issued said: “Since the commencement of voting earlier today, my supporters and I have observed disturbing patterns that do not align with the actual votes cast. It has become increasingly evident that the integrity of the electoral process has been compromised. Despite the overwhelming support from my dedicated supporters, the reported figures do not align with the true expression of our votes. It would appear that the system has been manipulated to favor a predetermined outcome, consistently placing me in third position;

As a candidate committed to upholding transparency and the rule of law, I cannot in good conscience continue to participate in a compromised electoral process. Therefore, I am withdrawing from the presidential race effective immediately;

While today marks a somber moment for our bar, let us remain resolute in our commitment to upholding the principles of justice, fairness, and integrity within our noble profession. Together, we must continue to strive for a bar association that is free from manipulation and true to the aspirations of its members”, Ikwuazom stated in a statement.

Other results is as shown in the table below:

Osigwe has served the NBA in several capacities. He was a former Chairman of the Cosmopolitan Abuja branch,  General Secretary of the NBA in 2014 under Augustine Alegeh SAN as president, and also served either as Chairman, or member of several NBA committees.

Mazi Afam Osigwe was born on October 25, 1972. He graduated from the University of Nigeria Enugu Campus in 1997 and was called to the Bar in 1999. He started legal practice with Chike Chigbue and Co, Abuja Office in 1999 and left in 2002 to found his firm , the LAW FORTE (Legal Practitioners, Corporate Consultants and Notary Public) which in 2002

In 2006 he became a Notary Public of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. In 2010, he concluded a face-to- face tutorial at Keble College, Oxford, and obtained a Diploma in International Commercial Arbitration. He became a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK) in 2011.

In 2010, he concluded a face-to-face tutorial at Keble College, Oxford, and obtained a Diploma in International Commercial Arbitration. Afam became a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK) in 2011.

In 2007 he obtained a Master’s of Laws Degree (LL.M) from the University of Jos . Afam also holds another an LL.M in (Transnational Commercial Practice) from the Centre for International Legal Studies, Austria (in collaboration with the Lazarsky University, Poland). He is yet to complete his doctorate programme.

At various times Afam has had cause to carry out research and litigation in various areas of the law including Corporate and Business Law; Land law, Banking law, Intellectual Property; International Commercial Law, Tele-communications, Energy, Oil and Gas Law; Domestic arbitration, International Commercial Arbitration etc. He has a special bias for commercial and financial practice and litigation. He is also the Company Secretary/ Legal Adviser of many companies.

Osigwe has continued to associate with some law firms in Nigeria and has at various times liaised with them on international business law issues as they arose in the course of providing legal services to their clients.

Afam has appeared as a counsel in many arbitral proceedings as well as sat as a sole arbitrator or member of arbitral tribunals in commercial disputes. He is an avid reader and researcher.

Under his able leadership the Unity Bar FC (the football club of NBA Abuja), was transformed into a laurel-winning team. The team won the silver medal at the Football Tournaments at the Port Harcourt, Annual General Conference and Gold medal at the Abuja Annual General Conference, respectively. The successes achieved by the team would rightly be attributed to his unwavering dedication to sports and physical development as well as settling for nothing but the best.

He was the last person to hold office as the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Abuja Branch (Unity Bar) for the whole Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Bwari and Gwagwalada Branches were created during his tenure as Chairman of the Unity Bar. By consent of the Chairmen of Bwari and Gwagwalada Branches of the NBA, he became the first Chairman of Chairmen of NBA Branches in the FCT, in 2012.

He was sworn in as the General Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association in August 2014 and held that position till the expiration of his tenure on August 26, 2016. He served as General Secretary under President Augustine Alegeh SAN, under whose tenure the following programmes were successfully introduced:

 In 2015, Afam presented a paper at the session of the IBA Bar Issues Commission during the IBA Conference in Vienna. His paper titled ‘Legal ethics involved in the fight for the self-regulation of the legal profession in Nigeria with regard to the provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011’ was delivered at the session which focused on ‘Dealing dealt with conflicts in a global practice – challenges for the 21st century involving legal ethics and general morality’.

 A Knight of Saint Christopher, 

Afam is married to his university sweetheart, Ukamaka Osigwe, also a lawyer, and their marriage is blessed with three children- Chilbuzor, Chiemelie and Chidumebi. He is also a foster-father to Amarachukwu, the daughter of his late elder brother.

 

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