The **[Nigerian Bar Association](https://www.nigerianbar.org.ng)** Ibadan branch, based in Oyo State, has resolved to abstain from all activities linked to the 2026/2027 New Legal Year programme organised by the state’s judiciary.
Raheed Khan, the branch’s publicity secretary, disclosed the decision in a statement supplied to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday night in Ibadan, the state capital.
The boycott was adopted at the branch’s general meeting held on Saturday.
Members said the move followed discussion of recent administrative orders from the judiciary leadership, notably the move to stop the Bar’s chairman from delivering an address at the ceremony.
The branch stressed that the administration of justice rests on a sacred partnership between the bench and the Bar, both acting as co‑equal guardians of the rule of law.
It argued that the annual New Legal Year ceremony serves as a platform for accountability, reflection and constructive dialogue, rather than a simple judicial pageant.
According to the branch, the chairman’s speech is the traditional channel through which the Bar conveys systemic observations and pushes for greater judicial efficiency.
Consequently, the branch described the judiciary’s unilateral action to remove and silence the Bar chairman’s address as a direct affront to the collective dignity of the profession.
“Denying the Bar its historic voice at a state ceremony reduces legal practitioners from equal partners to passive onlookers,” the statement read.
The branch warned that remaining silent in the face of such marginalisation would set a dangerous precedent for the future of the legal profession.
It therefore announced plans to organise an independent New Legal Year ceremony, celebrating the occasion on its own terms.
The alternative event is slated for Monday at 10:00 a.m. at the Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, Bar Centre on NTC Road, Ibadan, with participants expected to appear fully robed in wig and gown.
The branch said its collective non‑attendance at the judiciary’s ceremonies, coupled with a firm presence at the Bar Centre, would convey an unmistakable message.
It added that history judges the Bar not by how easily it complies, but by the strength of its convictions.
“Let future generations note that when the Bar’s voice was threatened with erasure, the Ibadan Bar stood united, unshaken, dignified and unapologetic,” the statement concluded.
Meanwhile, the **[Oyo State Judiciary](https://oyo.gov.ng)** has scheduled the 2026/27 Legal Year Service for Monday, planning to hold it concurrently at the Cathedral of St. James in Oke‑Bola, Ibadan, and at the Oyo State Judiciary Mosque within the High Court premises on Ring Road, Ibadan.
(NAN)