NEWS

How Olumide Akpata defeated two SANs to become NBA president

Published

5 years ago

July 31, 2020

TopNaija.ng

Olumide Akpata, former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Business Law (NBA-SBL), has emerged winner of the Nigerian Bar Association’s (NBA) national elections, TopNaija.ng reports.

Akpata defeated two Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), to become the first non-SAN president in years.

He finished the polls with a total of 9,891 votes out of the total 18,256 ballots cast. Babatunde Ajibade (SAN) garnered 4,328 votes, while Dele Adesina (SAN) got 3,982 votes.

The NBA’s national election ended at 11pm on Thursday. Akpata maintained a 54.3 per cent lead consistently since voting started at 11pm on Wednesday. A total of 29,636 lawyers were expected to vote nationwide in the electronic poll.

Very clear that Olumide Akpata is winning this.

And it's not just a victory for him, it's also a victory for young Nigerian lawyers; a victory for lawyers who have resisted the SAN hegemony; and a victory for social media too.

Now @OlumideAkpata, you have to do the work. pic.twitter.com/Whq05QKbar

— Ayo Sogunro – #Transformist (@ayosogunro) July 30, 2020

Admitted to practice in Nigeria with over two decades of experience in advising clients on various aspects of Nigerian Corporate and Commercial Law, Olumide Akpata has been recognised by IFLR 1000 as a leading Mergers & Acquisition lawyer in Nigeria and by Chambers and Partners “as having long experience in representing foreign clients” in his area of practice.

Olumide Akpata defeats two SANs, becomes NBA president topnaija.ng

He regularly advises local and international corporations on the impact of Nigerian Law on their investments and/or operations in Nigeria particularly regarding: the establishment of local subsidiaries, corporate governance and compliance, mergers, acquisitions and corporate restructuring, labour and immigration, regulatory issues and tax.

Olu is often called upon to speak at local and international conferences and seminars and currently sits on the Council of the Nigeria Bar Association Section on Business Law. He is also the Vice-Chair (West-Africa) of the International Bar Association’s Africa Regional Forum.

He has advised on several key transactions:

Olumide advised on the Nigerian Bureau of Public Enterprises’ restructuring of the Nigerian Electricity sector and the unbundling of the national power utility.

He has advised on international joint ventures, mergers, acquisitions, takeovers and also the world’s second largest port operator in its bid for the Apapa Container Terminal concession.

Olumide advises several local and international clients on regulatory compliance in relation to company law and practice in Nigeria.

He acts for several clients on a wide range of Immigration and Labour matters including the setting up of private pension schemes, employment contracts and general immigration compliance.