REJOINDER TO THE ALLEGATION THAT DR. RAPULU NDUKA IS NOT IN PRIVATE LEGAL PRACTICE

Our attention has been drawn to a publication questioning the qualification of *Dr. Rapulu Nduka to contest for the office of General Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association* on the allegation that he is not in private legal practice as contemplated by Article 9(3)(b) of the NBA Constitution (2015, as amended in 2025).

The allegation is false, misleading, and betrays either a lack of due diligence or a deliberate attempt to mislead members of the Bar.

For the avoidance of doubt, *Dr. Rapulu Nduka is the Deputy Head of Chambers of J. R. Nduka, SAN & Partners,* a law firm duly registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission as J. R. Nduka & Co. A simple search of the Corporate Affairs Commission records will reveal his name as a partner in the firm.

Dr. Nduka's legal practice is a matter of public record. He has represented companies and individuals before courts across Nigeria, including the Supreme Court. Notably, he appeared for the Respondents in *Nnaduaka v. Anunobi, [(2025) 9 NWLR (Pt. 1994) 65* where he personally settled and signed the Respondents' Brief of Argument in his capacity as a private legal practitioner and argued the appeal before the Supreme Court. He also has several appeals presently pending before the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal, including SC/472/2017, SC/CR/812/2023, SC/801/2017, CA/E/350/2017 and CA/AWK/194/2021, amongst many others. His active appellate practice leaves no room for doubt that he is engaged in private legal practice within the meaning of Article 9(3)(b) of the NBA Constitution.

Even in the midst of this rigorous election campaign, he has continued to appear before courts across the country, including in Suit Nos. A/35D/2023, O/278/2016, NICN/MKD/13/2023, and several others. His commitment to private legal practice has never ceased, and his professional record is verifiable.

More troubling is that this latest publication appears to be part of a sustained pattern aimed at discrediting Dr. Rapulu Nduka. Members of the Bar will recall that before the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) published the final list of candidates, a purported "authentic" list of aspirants for the office of General Secretary was deliberately circulated. Curiously, Dr. Rapulu Nduka's name was omitted from that list despite his undisputed expression of interest. That attempt failed. This latest allegation appears to be another chapter in the same unfortunate playbook.

Politics should never descend to the level of manufacturing false narratives against worthy candidates. Must we become so desperate in our politics that facts are sacrificed on the altar of expediency? Must we deprecate what is evidently good simply because of politics?

The Nigerian Bar Association deserves a contest of ideas, vision, competence and service, not campaigns built on misinformation and personal attacks. If there are legitimate issues to debate, let them be debated honestly and on the strength of verifiable facts.

Dr. Rapulu Nduka's record in private legal practice is neither speculative nor imagined. It is documented in court records, reported cases, the records of the Corporate Affairs Commission, and in the numerous clients and litigants whom he continues to represent.

The circumstances surrounding this publication leave one with the unmistakable impression that this is a classic case of the hand of Esau, but the voice of Jacob. We urge all members of the Bar to reject misinformation and remain committed to the ideals of fairness, truth and the Rule of Law.

Ammeh O. Ammeh.
NBA Abuja Branch