An Ilorin based legal luminary, Barr. Onwa Ifeanyi Emanuel has called on INEC to take over the conduct of local government elections in Nigeria.
Onwa, who is the Principal Partner of Redemption Chamber, Ilorin, in this interview with our editor, Mike Adeyemi, affirmed that INEC, to some extent, cannot blatantly compromise national or even local government elections.
According to him, “the Supreme Court verdict granting autonomy to local governments is one of the best judgement that we have recorded this year, but leaving the election to the hands of state electoral umpairers would be a straight-jacket where the government at the state level continues to control everything.
He, however, described the trajectory of his career in the legal profession as a fulfilling one, likened himself to an anointed lawyer.
Excerpts :
Tell us about your early life?
I am privileged to come from a humble background and from a royal family. I am from Ebonyi State. That is where they have Niger Cement, Nkalagu, the first cement factory in Nigeria.
I grew up to know my father and my mum. We lived together because that matters alot. I enjoyed both paternal and maternal care while growing up. It was in a village called Amata. My mum was a teacher and being a teacher you should know what it entails. She is a discplianrian to the core. She is no nonsense person.
So, I had that formation as a child knowing dos and don’t that you must abide with. My father, being a traditional ruler, was also a discplianrian. I’m from a ploygamous family. We have so many siblings around us. We have uncles who are thorough that if you commited any offence, they would beat your up severely. So with that fear, you dare not repeat such behavior again.
So, that moral value was actually imbedded in us. Also, my mum was a Catholic, we used to go to church often. From there I became an altar servant while in primary three. I was serving Mars till I entered secondary school.
It was very interesting growing up under many discipline teachers, unlike what is in vogue today if teacher flogs your child, the parents fight back. In fact often time, my mother did ask our priest to beat me. So growing up as a child was very interesting.
Igbo extractions are known for trading, why do you find yourself in law practice?
There is what we called “Ogbo” in our tradition which means namesake. My father had a friend who was a lawyer. He eventually became a High Court Judge. When I was in primary five, he came to our house and he demanded I should pack my load and follow him for holiday. So I did and we traveled to his town in Abakaliki where he stayed then.
He now called me and said, ” II want you to be a lawyer”. I said okay, I would be a lawyer. I was around age 12 at the time. He told me “law is the best profession ever one can think off”. He said I should focus on my studies and channelled my mind toward becoming a lawyer.
From then, I used to watch movies seeing how lawyers used to do. I imagined myself that one day I would stand before a judge to advocate for clients. That formed my imagination and future too.
Also, naturally I hate cheating or seeing people treated unjustly. That also helped me, because I told God that if I became a lawyer, I wiould do everything possible for people who do not have anyone to speak for them. To God be the glory, till today I’m still trying to abide by that because that was the foundation of what I am today.
Share with us your first experience in court as a lawyer
I was called to bar in February 2012. In fact some people call us Valentine lawyers, because we were called to bar on Valentine day. I came to Ilorin purely for my youth service. I was posted to A. T Ahmed & Co along Sultan Road. I was with him before I was called to bar.
I actually appeared first with my boss, A. T Ahmed. The matter was later adjourned and it was at Area Court, Adewole, Ilorin. At the next hearing, I told my boss that I would like to appear for that case. The case was between A. T Ahmed and late Toyin Bello.
Barrister Bello was a senior lawyer and my boss A. T Ahmed told me that if you are going there , just go and pick date. Don’t go and face Toyin Bello, you cannot match him. I said okay sir.
That day I went to the court alone for the first time. I got to the court very early that I had to wait for other lawyers to come. I was busy thinking of what to do. I had to do some research immediately. I checked the necessary laws that I can use against Toyin Bello.
I asked them to call our case which they did and I announced my appearance standing for the defendant. I move an application that the matter should be struck out. The judge listened to me and he started writing his rullings.
As the judge was doing this, Toyin Bello entered. He asked the Registrar enquiring if that was his case and he said yes. He stood up and said, my lord, am interested in this case. The judge didn’t even answered him. After like 20 minutes, the judge said, Toyin Bello, you are here? Announce your appearance.
And the judge said here is my rulling. After reading out all what he wrote, he said the matter is hereby struck out. That was my first victory as a lawyer.
Were you overwhelmed with fear that day?
Yes. There was fear and apprehension before. My fear was that Toyin Bello should not meet me while I was making my application and God answered me. So after the reading and the matter was struck out, I felt like a lawyer for the very first time
Even when I came back to office and told my boss that the matter had been struck out, he said it was a lie. I now told him what I did. Since that very day till the time I left my boss chamber in 2018, I was the one doing all the cases. Each time I remember it, I feel proud.
Is there any day you regretted being a lawyer?
Not at all. Being a lawyer is the best thing ever happens in my life. I don’t think there is any other job that I can do aside this job. I see myself like anointed lawyer, not just any lawyer.
If you look back, would you say you are a fulfilled lawyer?
We’re still trying to reach that level that I will say am fulfilled. I have a target which is known between me and my God. But I am very proud that am a lawyer.
How many cases have you won so far as a lawyer?
I can’t give the exact figure. But something happened in 2018 that made me to leave A. T Ahmed Chamber. In that year, I got tangible judgment in almost all the cases I handled.
I have so many cases at the Magistrate Court in my favour. In that year, I received about 12 victories in my favour. So after analysing the work I had done, I said there was no need staying under my boss anymore. I registered my own law firm and that was what prompted the Redemption Chamber.
As a lawyer, are there causes to be grateful for being where you are today?
If there is anybody to be appreciative to God Almighty, I am the person. Because coming to a state where you don’t have anybody. In fact there was nobody from my village that was living in Ilorin when I came here. The only person I know is God. So I am deeply grateful to God.
Each time I need assistance, God always come to my aid divinely. And God also blessed me with friends of good plight. Just like what my boss, A.T Ahmed used to tell me that I should be sincere in this career and with God on my side, I maintained that honesty.
My father also contributed a lot because he always told me that good name is better than riches. Almost everytime, he kept emphasising that to my hearing.
That is what I have held to myself. To the glory of God, I am thankful to God Almighty.
What is your view on the Supreme Court’s judgment granting autonomy to local governments in the country?
It is a welcome development because local government is supposed to be the third tier of the government. But over time, we notice that local governments have become a puppet to the governors.
In fact some states which I and you know hardly conduct elections to local governments. What they did was just to appoint caretaker chairmen to be errand boys at the detriment of the masses.
Local government supposed to be more valued than the state government because local governments is closer to the people. So the Supreme Court verdict granting autonomy to local governments is one of the best judgement that we have recorded this year.
I thank the initiator which is the Attorney General of Federration for the boldness to take that step. Another thing is the mode of conducting elections into those local governments because if we leave it in the hands of the state governments, is still the same thing. We ‘ll go no where.
I said this because I cannot assist you to become a chairman and not obeying or paying allegiance to me. If that area is not looked at, the said autonomy could turn out to be a mirage.
So you are also of the opinion that INEC should be left to conduct elections into the local governments in Nigeria?
Yes. It is important that the conduct of local government elections becomes the responsibility of INEC because is impossible to get a free and fair election under the current arrangement. The current system encourages massive rigging because state’s electoral umpaires are under the control of the state governments which belong to a political party.
As we have seen over the years, parties which control states will stop at nothing to tailor the results in their favour. You will discover that all council elections conducted in states are won by the party in power; the opposition is left with nothing. As local authorities have been given autonomy, it will be easy for the people to hold them accountable. This will, in turn, bring development.
I want to sincerely appeal that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should be allowed to conduct elections into the 774 local governments in the country.
I think all those so called State Independent Electoral Commissions are not really independent. What is going on is a mockery of democracy because the party in power at the state level wins almost all the local council elections. It does not make for robust democracy at all. It is just like a straight-jacket thing where the government at the state level controls everything.
The INEC, to some extent, cannot blatantly compromise national or even local government elections.
The idea of states conducting their local government elections is not bad, but they have made a mess of it. I would have liked us to strengthen the structures, but since we are not making progress with that, there should be some intervention to stop the apparent arbitrary display of power by the state governments.
What is delaying your Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) rank?
Laugh. I told you earlier that everybody has his own target. The rank of the Senior Advocate of Nigeria to me is the highest level where a lawyer would say he is fulfilled and that is why I said I’m not fulfillled yet, until I get to that level.
To the glory of God, I am working towards it. I have some cases that I have won at the Court of Appeal. I have won so many at the High Court, ditto at the Supreme Court. So by the grace of God we will get there.