*Says it is the responsibility of the Supreme Court to challenge the process if there is any issue
*NBA online payment of BPF made to address hiccups experienced during election
The NBA 1st Vice President, John Aikpoko Martins, has responded to criticism made that the online payment of the NBA Bar Practicing Fee is illegal. He made this in a statement signed by him, and sighted by ACER.
According to him, the BPF account is in the name of the Supreme Court and not the NBA, stressing that the payment has now been made easier for members. He also added that if there is any issue, it is only the Supreme Court that can challenge it.
"That BPF account is in the name of the Supreme Court and not the NBA. The NBA simply ensured that the payment of BPF to the Supreme court by her members has been made easier, less stressful and more certain by migrating to mandatory online payment; this is akin to when the NBA intervened ensured that the BPF bank tellers were customized for ease of payment at the bank; was that unlawful then? If not....why not?
"It is obvious that it is only the Supreme Court that can challenge the NBA (even if there is any such need) on this issue; has the Registrar of the Supreme Court raised any issue, so why the needless controversy? The NBA has not changed the account number or the bank, nor asked members to pay into an NBA account, so what exactly are we going to be explaining that is not legally self evident?
"More importantly, most people forget that the elections into offices in the NBA is heavily dependent and reliant on the payment of practising fees. The voters registers for our elections are determined by the record of members who paid their practising fees as at when due. Most national elections have been marred by the accusation of the manipulations of the list of those eligible to vote ie those who paid their practising fees within the statutory period.
"We the National officers considering the hiccups usually encountered by the ECNBA in compiling an acceptable register of voters and the rancour that usually accompanies same and desirous of ensuring a more transparent and enduring electoral process for the NBA decided to change the mode of payment of BPF by making the payment of BPF not only via online, but also mandatory.
"Now, by the 1st of April of each year, the names of all eligible voters (those who paid their BPF not later than the 31st of March) will be automatically generated and known. The ECNBA will no longer have to compile on her own the voters' register; the issue of manipulation of the voters' register has been thus solved for all time. So the mode of payment of the BPF is of utmost importance to the NBA and any attempt to sabotage it will not do the NBA any good."
Going further, he said that the Olu Akpata led administration is driven by the need to have more transparent elections; ease of payment by members and; conforming with the dictates of the present electronic age to migrate to mandatory online payment of Bar Practising fees.
"Suffice it to say that the NBA did not give instructions to the Bank and the Account officers, the appropriate authority did.
"Let me say here that some of our members should learn to please accord their elected leaders some modicum of intelligence on handling the matters of the Association," he said.