A Senior Advocate of Nigeria SAN, J.S. Okutepa has denied ever describing Body of Benchers Chairman, Wole Olanipekun (SAN) as a “superior member of the Bar”.
He made the denial in a statement in which he responded to viral media publications attributed to him where he was quoted to have called Olanipekun a “Superior Lawyer” with respect to the lingering controversy over the recusal letter written to the BoB Chair by the NBA President, Olumide Akpata.
He also dissociated himself from the Justice Reform Project, a group from which he said he had since resigned.
Read him: “My attention has been drawn to an unsigned statement said to have been issued by Justice Reform Projects, JRP, in which my name was mentioned.
“While I have no quarrel with whatever informed the reasons for the statement. I want to say categorically that I am no more a member of JRP. I left JRP long ago when I perceived the way things were being done without consultations. Prof Ojukwu SAN and many members of JRP can testify to this.”
On his comment about Wole Olanipekun, he said: “My name is being used by different persons for different reasons on this alleged issue of professional misconduct.
“Many have attributed to me on social media what I did not say. For instance I did not describe Chief Olanipekun SAN as Superior member of the Bar and couldn’t have said so; yet eminent members of the Bar have gone to the media to pour venoms on me for what I did not say.”
He further stated that he would never support any member of the profession no matter how highly placed that flouts the rules of the profession.
According to him: “I will not support or shield any member of the legal profession who breaches or who is alleged to have breached our rules of professional Conduct in the legal profession, no matter his or her status in the legal profession, but nobody should use my name in any statement I did not authorize or attributes to me what I did not say, no matter how noble the intention may be.”
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