The former president of the Nigerian Bar Association, Olumide Akpata, has confirmed his membership of the Labour Party in Edo State.

Recall that the Nigerian media space recently was awash with the insinuations that Akpata might be eyeing the government seat in the state after he was seen brandishing the party membership card happily last Sunday.

Recommended articles

While confirming the news on the popular micro-blogging site, Twitter, through his official handle, @OlumideAkpata, the legal practitioner revealed that his decision to officially join politics was borne out of the need to stop complaining on the fate of the nation and taking action.

“Quite a number of people have called/messaged me to confirm the news, currently making the rounds, that I have joined a political party. Yes…I joined the @labourparty_ng in March this year and on Sunday I attended my first Ward Meeting at Oredo Ward 6, in Benin-City, where I was formally introduced to members of the Ward and presented with my Party membership card.

“This was a major step for me and not one that I took lightly…but I simply got tired of complaining about Nigeria every day and bemoaning her fate and I decided to take the plunge and to try to be part of the solution rather than agonising continually over the problem.

“This, for me, is the start of a very important journey, and it is my prayer that I arrive safely at my destination,” he wrote.

Akpata is a senior partner and the Head of the Corporate and Commercial Practice Group at Templars law firm in Nigeria. He became the first non-Senior Advocate of Nigeria president of the Nigerian Bar Association in July 2020.

Rtn. Victor Ojelabi

Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.