LordVarys:
Excerpts from a 2013 Sun Profile of the man himself

He’s certainly not a short man, yet Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), renowned legal luminary and Pro-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, is amazingly down-to-earth.

Blessed with a successful career and a great family, (his wife, Lara, is an Offa princess while his four children are all lawyers), the Ikere-Ekiti born former president of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) is also a philanthropist. Many are those individuals, groups and institutions that have profited from his large-heartedness.

He’s not a social critic, but when he speaks, you cannot miss the profundity of his thoughts. He’s not one of those lawyers with the title, social critic. But one thing that is evident from his mien is that right now, Chief Olanipekun is angry.

We’re running an unhealthy system

Is he as angry as he looks today? “Yes, I am not comfortable with the situation of things in the country,” he admits. “We are running an unhealthy system. It is worrisome that Nigeria does not have a system; we are running people’s affairs like a game of chess. You practise whatever catches your fancy and impose it on the people. And bad enough, the constitution is in a terrible state of health.

“Where are the schools we attended? Where are the values that we keyed into? Where are the teachers, the role models? Where are the politicians? In secondary schools, we used to read the Hansard of the parliament. People like you might not know how fluent people like S.L. Akintola and Anthony Enahoro were. A lot of people would think that Akintola was only versatile in Yoruba. We were reading their Hansard. See how Awolowo would marshal his points, research-oriented, research-based. Are we improving? No. And yet you and I would come together and say that the fault is in our time but not in us. Yet we are the cause too.”

He has little faith in current attempts by the National Assembly to tinker with the 1999 constitution. “The effort will take us nowhere,” he asserts.

So what solution would he proffer?

“We have to sit down to chart a new course for our future. Let us forget about the contentious word, ‘sovereign’ and let us sit down to talk. We must not allow the disintegration of this polity.”

There are indeed, a number of issues that give Chief Olanipekun the jitters. He’s worried that most politicians in the country don’t seem particularly concerned about the country, seeking to feather their own nests at every opportunity while Nigeria plunges down the hill.

Groups without ideologies

“Do we have political parties,” he wonders. “All we have are groups without ideologies. I respect personalities, but the general run of the dramatis personae in our political arena today is there to capture power without any clear-cut intention to serve the people. The Federal Government would say they want to ‘capture’ Lagos. Party ‘A’ would say ‘we want to capture this state. Rather than argue based on facts and criticise, our politicians would be cursing themselves. It is disheartening that the word, ‘capture’ has assumed pre-eminence in our political lexicon. These are among the issues that have coalesced into an Albatross on our necks.”

He’s also not pleased that some governors have not been at their desks for months, forcing such states to remain helpless and directionless. “It is the height of irresponsibility,” he avers. “If you volunteer to throw your hat into the ring in a bid to serve your people, it is unequivocally irresponsible for you not to be at your seat for four months. The constitution makes it clear that for any political office especially, there shall not be a vacancy for a split second. Patrick Yakowa, the late Kaduna State governor died in that unfortunate crash. Even before his remains were taken to Kaduna, his deputy was sworn in because political offices, like nature, abhor a vacuum. And sad enough, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is urging us to sympathise with them. Why did they not say that during the case of Yar’Adua?”

State Houses of Assembly are lily-livered

He describes the Houses of Assembly in the states as toothless dogs that neither bark nor bite. “The National Assembly is far more independent than all the state Houses of Assembly combined,” he submits. “They are lily-livered. Many go into the assembly without any idea or ideology. All they need is a sponsor whose bidding they will get there to do.”

Judiciary has fared well

But in spite of what anyone might say, Chief Olanipekun would give the judiciary a pass mark, insisting that it has fared better than the other two arms. In his view, the judiciary is being overwhelmed by problems created by the other two arms. Noting that every election in Nigeria is contested by the losing party or candidate up till the Supreme Court, he informs that judiciary ultimately get overburdened.

He’s not amused at the statement credited to former President Obasanjo alleging corruption among some judges. He says such a statement should be investigated.

“I am a Yoruba man and Obasanjo is older than me. I am a boy to him, but the truth needs be told. In an ideal situation, Obasanjo would have been invited to come and name names and give instances. If he does so and the instances are investigated and corroborated, then, he would be charged and prosecuted for being an accomplice, an accessory, because he knew but did not report. Obasanjo should apologise to Nigeria and Nigerians.”

We’re not fighting corruption

The distinguished lawyer believes the nation is yet to start a real fight against corruption. According to him, so many accusations and counter accusations are going on, yet the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) isn’t saying a word.

“See what has been going on between Oby Ezekwesili and the Federal Government over our foreign reserve – stinking startling revelations of unbridled corruption. What is the EFCC doing? You don’t say you rely on activists or private prosecutor; you rely on the system to prosecute all corrupt people. Look at the third-term agenda of Obasanjo for which people are saying that money passed round; why are we not investigating it? Why are we trying to wish it away as if it never happened?”

[b]Why my clients are in all political parties

Chief Olanipekun’s clientele is spread across all the political parties. He’s one of the very few lawyers in the country that would be defending a Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) governor in Nasarawa against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yet he would be defending the PDP in Abuja against the CPC. He would defend an Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in the morning against the Federal Government, and two hours later, he would be holding brief for President Jonathan in a case instituted against him by some opposition party.

Even at the peak of the bile and bitterness that accompanied last year’s governorship election in Ondo State, the esteemed lawyer was very close to the leading personae in all the feuding political camps. Not a few people have wondered how he keeps such relationships going.

“A lawyer must be sure-footed and creative,” he explains. “He must be a doctor, a psychologist; he must be the melting pot of all the professions. Above all, he must be close to God and always ask for the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. Here, we employ knowledge and fidelity to law and what is good. And in any event, we don’t win all our cases; we lose some.

“The only CPC governor in Nigeria, I led the team for his defence in Nasarawa, from the Tribunal up to the Supreme Court. Yet, I was counsel to Jonathan against CPC. Despite that, CPC had confidence in me.

“The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and PDP are not the best of friends. On November 21, 2011, the Federal Government charged Bola Tinubu, the ACN national leader before the Code of Conduct Tribunal. I led his very formidable team to ask the Tribunal to discharge and acquit him. I finished my submission around 12.30 pm that day. By 2.30 pm same day, I was in the courtroom of the Court of Appeal in the same Abuja to join my colleagues on the leadership of the defence team of the Jonathan election petition. It was the same day; defending Tinubu in the morning and Jonathan in the afternoon. That is the joy of the profession.

“I heard from the rumour mill that some people went to tell Jonathan that Wole is Tinubu’s friend and so on, but Jonathan reportedly told them: ‘Leave Wole. I have implicit confidence in him; the man will never compromise your case.’

“Although I work for President Jonathan, I don’t go to Aso Rock; I’m not a contractor. Tinubu respects me and I respect him too."[/b]

Me and Mimiko

The lawyer also explains his special affinity with Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State. “He is not just my client, he’s my soul-mate. When my mother was alive, I would be in Ilorin, he would leave his town, Ondo, for my house at Ikere and my mother would cook for him. He is one of my few friends who have shared same bed with me. The process of Mimiko becoming governor started when both of us were commissioners in the old Ondo State in 1992/93. I constituted and led the team of his election petition four years ago. We have been that close. He respects me and he will dare not ask me about my association with Tinubu or others. I don’t do the politics of my clients; I handle my job uncompromisingly. For me, my career is a covenant. If I have chosen to handle a case for a Fulani man, whether or not he has paid, me, if I betray him, God will punish me. That is my attitude to my work. No matter how close we are, the day you abuse that relationship by asking me to drop a case for unethical reasons is the day you will see the reddish part of my eyes. We as lawyers must appreciate our calling as a covenant with God.”

Day I confronted Gowon

In his undergraduate days at the University of Ibadan, Chief Olanipekun was an activist. He recalled an encounter he had with the then Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon. “When we were students at the University of Lagos, I led a group of student activists to the University of Ibadan. That was on April 1st, 1974. We were going to Adekunle Adepeju burial ground at Molete area. We were chanting peaceful songs. Military must go, democracy we want! Then the police came and started throwing teargas at us. We retaliated by throwing pebbles at them. We were eventually rounded up and put in the Black Maria, about 20 of us. We were kept in the Black Maria for one night. From there, they took us to Iyaganku prison. But we were sending out letters and relating with pressmen. The National Union of Nigerian Students (NUNS) mounted national and international pressure that the police wanted to kill us. We were held in that prison form April 1 to April 28. Then General Gowon made a national broadcast to announce that he had given us a state pardon.

“Then, I led the University of Lagos students to Dodan Barracks to protest what he meant by state pardon. I confronted the head of state, General Gowon. I said, what do you mean by state pardon? And he said to me, ‘my boy, do you want to go back to where I put you? You enjoyed the place?’ Then we started talking, and he accommodated us. He listened to us. But when we were going, Gowon said, you young men, you protested against the NYSC that I introduced, and you are protesting again. Don’t you know that you are the leaders of tomorrow?’ He pointed to me and said. “You in particular, you will be great because of the courage with which you addressed me.’

“Years later, I was flying to Rivers to defend Gov. Donald Duke, and Gowon and I were on the same plane. I greeted him and he was just looking at me. After sometime, he said, ‘where did I know you?’ Then I reminded him. And he said, were you that boy I prayed for? And he said you have to come and pay me royalties.”

My encounter with OBJ

The former NBA president would also not forget an encounter with then President Obasanjo when he led a team of lawyers to Aso Villa. “Before we left for Abuja, my brother, Femi Falana called to caution me to be careful with how I addressed the president. I prayed and waited on the lord before I went there. And when we got there, Obasanjo said, Mr. President of the NBA, can we send out the press? But I said, ‘they can’t misquote me. I have a prepared speech.’ I began to read my speech. The first thing I said was that the condition of the police was deteriorating. I said we have to address the situation. Then Obasanjo said, where did you get your facts? He said, ‘the money I spent on the Nigerian Police Force, I didn’t spent up to that prosecuting the civil war.’ And I said, ‘Mr. President, are you General Gowon?’ I didn’t say more than that, because he wasn’t the head of state during the war. And at a point, the president got angry and was banging the table. And he was really furious. He was talking and talking. But I didn’t say a word. But when it was getting too long, I stood up and said, Mr. President, can we take our leave? I said, ‘I didn’t bring myself here, and I can’t be talking back at you. You are old enough to be my father, and you are my head of state. And I said sir, I am very sorry to say this, my parents never harassed me. I am not used to being harassed. Can we take our leave?’ Then, there was pin-drop silence. Debo Akande started nudging me. Then after sometime, Obasanjo calmed down and said, okay let us continue.

“I understand that when we left, he was asking, who elected that rascal as president of NBA? Then Kanu Agabi replied him and said, that is one of the most serious-minded, intelligent lawyers Nigeria has ever produced. He is not a rascal.”

Me run for Ekiti governor? Never?

Hundreds of people from all walks of life have benefitted from Chief Olanipekun’s large heart and deep pockets. Last December, he donated an exquisite, multi-million naira auditorium to the Faculty of Law, University of Ibadan. In his Ikere-Ekiti homestead, and indeed, across Ekiti state, thousands of students have benefited from his scholarship scheme, while he still pays the tuition of hundreds. Of late, the rumour mill has been agog with news that Olanipekun has his eyes on the Ekiti governor’s seat. Will he take a break from his legal practice for a shot at Oke Bareke?  He can hardly hide his anger.

“That is preposterous,” he says. “I can never nurse that aspiration owing to several reasons. I am a core professional and I’m committed to my calling. I will never do anything that will distract me or take me out of the sacred calling I have embraced to serve humanity. God has not called me to go into politics. I’m not among those who would say God has spoken to them to become governor or president.

“And as a Yoruba man, one has to respect oneself. Look at those who have been governor of the state. Niyi Adebayo and Ayo Fayose are in their early 50s. Segun Oni is in his mid-50s. Governor Fayemi is a young man. At 61, I should be a senior brother to them. I should be their counsellor, advising them, not competing with them.”

It’s more blessed to give than to receive

So, if he’s not interested in politics, why is he such a cheerful giver? He says giving is his own way of spreading the gospel of Christ. “The Bible says it’s more blessed to give than to receive,” he replies. “Every wealth belongs to God and God gives people money for a purpose – to contribute to making the society better. Today, if I get to the University of Ibadan where I’m Pro-Chancellor, I’m glad because God has used me to change the face and texture of governance there without taking a dime.

“I once received text messages from two law students. I never met them. All they said was that they were in the Law School and in dire need of their tuition fee. I contacted the authorities there and paid their fees into the school coffers. When they were through, they sent me messages again, praying for me. When I clocked 20 years at the Bar, I instituted an endowment fund for young lawyers, both in Lagos and Ilorin. These are aside from the scholarship that I instituted in my state 16 years back. I recall all these among many others to convince privileged Nigerians that selfishness is no virtue in the eyes of God. As for me, I have chosen the path of selflessness because I spend from God’s pocket; no going back because it is my own way of spreading the gospel.”

Happy, sad moments

What was his happiest moment? “I have a couple of them,” he responds. “The day I got married, when I had my first baby and the day I took the SAN. When I became a lawyer, I was looking up to the Rotimi Williams, Tunde Ajayi and  the Ibekwes. And we were seven when I took the wig, without knowing anybody. Four of us were from Ondo then. Nigeria was still a country where you got it on merit though it was under the military.

“My saddest moment was the day my mother died. We were having an NBA function in Osogbo when the message came that her condition was deteriorating. She was in one hospital in Akure. I dashed down and the doctor advised that we should take her to the University Teaching Hospital. I carried her to the hospital and the doctors were trying to assist. We took her to the theatre. She just beckoned to me and held me and looking at me, closed her eyes and passed on, in my hands.”

http://sunnewsonline.com/new/wole-olanipekun-though-i-work-for-jonathan-i-dont-go-to-aso-rock/
Lalasticlala, obinoscopy

He will go far.

Lawyers...

ozoigbondu:
I can't categorically say but he is a lot better than that media lawyer called festus keynamo

Lol. Same Keyamo that couldn't secure a single conviction for EFCC in almost a decade? Abeg, No dey invite snail to meeting of horned animals.

A legal luminary in a class of his own! all cases was a hit!

LordVarys:
.

I don't know if he's the best. But I know he's better than the likes of Femi Falana and Festus Keyamo who are just noisemakers.

He's good shaa with all his won cases.

Wole Olanipekun I Dove My Hat For This Great San

LordVarys:
I don't think any lawyer has argued major cases before the Supreme Court as much as this legal guru and he has a very impressive track record and he doesn't restrict himself to any party.
Today, He is representing both Ikpeazu(PDP) in the Abia gubernatorial case and Umana Umana(APC) in the Akwa Ibom case...
He also led Nyesom Wike's successful appeal.
He led Yar’Adua's legal team to successfully defend the flawed 2007 election winning a narrow 4-3 Supreme Court victory.
In 2011 he defended GEJ's victory at the Supreme Court......
He provided legal advice for Buhari et al during the certificate scandal and lead Tinubu's libel suit against AIT as well as led his team that quashed his CCT case.
MTN recently hired him to lead their team of lawyers challenging NCC's fine although the case is being settled out of court.

Can't think of a more adept lawyer in Nigeria today than Chief Wole Olanipekun(SAN),
His track record alone sends shivers down the spines of his opposing counsels and he reportedly commands a hefty fee.
Let's see how his Supreme Court cases go today.

and he has won, he is better than Femi Falana and co

All supreme court case handled by Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) was a hit back to back, from Yaradua's case to Tinubu CCT case to GEJ case.

Now its Ikpeazu and Emmanuel Udom, Chief Wole Olanipekun(SAN) ti take over Nigeria judiciary system.

unlawfulact:
This is not new want to beleive you just observing for the first time. He was the lead counsel that handles tinubu case against the federal government at CCT In 2011. The same day by 2:30pm he was in courtroom defending jonathan election petition.

Say what?

Frankiss44:
Anybody that pulled that Rivers State stunt deserves to be the best lawyer in the country unopposed

ozoigbondu:
I can't categorically say but he is a lot better than that media lawyer called festus keynamo and the other noisy one called femi falana

It is even an insult to compare him with Keyamo. He is Keyamo's daddy.

But I always wonder why most of the seemingly 'spectacular' lawyers are from only a part of the country.

From FRA Williams to Gani Fawehinmi to Femi Falana to Yusuf Alli to Akin Olujimi to Afe Babalola to Wole Olanipekun to Rotimi Akeredolu to Tunji Abayomi to Olalekan Ojo to Niyi Akintola and a host of the other guys.

Been trying to solve the riddle behind this situation for quite a while. Anyone can help out ?

[s]

LordVarys:
I don't think any lawyer has argued major cases before the Supreme Court as much as this legal guru and he has a very impressive track record and he doesn't restrict himself to any party.
Today, He is representing both Ikpeazu(PDP) in the Abia gubernatorial case and Umana Umana(APC) in the Akwa Ibom case...
He also led Nyesom Wike's successful appeal.
He led Yar’Adua's legal team to successfully defend the flawed 2007 election winning a narrow 4-3 Supreme Court victory.
In 2011 he defended GEJ's victory at the Supreme Court......
He provided legal advice for Buhari et al during the certificate scandal and lead Tinubu's libel suit against AIT as well as led his team that quashed his CCT case.
MTN recently hired him to lead their team of lawyers challenging NCC's fine although the case is being settled out of court.

Can't think of a more adept lawyer in Nigeria today than Chief Wole Olanipekun(SAN),
His track record alone sends shivers down the spines of his opposing counsels and he reportedly commands a hefty fee.
Let's see how his Supreme Court cases go today.

[/s]

Theres no such thing as "best lawyer"! All lawyers are gifted in their own sphere of expertise. So stop with the unpaid adverts already!

theV0ice:


Its funny 'cos I was having these thoughts today.

Lawyers are funny and maybe crooked folks. Dakuku and Umana have similar cases yet he helped Wike defeat Dakuku and wants to help Umana defeat Udom. I smiled when I heard him say "Card reader isn't the only premise of his petition"

How is he able to stand on both sides of the divide in a matter of days?



I doubt he'll win the case today anyway......Dakuku lost, so will Umana lose. But whichever way it pans out, Wole Olanipekun is a damn good lawyer.

My friend, olanipekun is standing in for udom of PDP and not umana of APC

TplenT:
But I always wonder why most of the seemingly 'spectacular' lawyers are from only a part of the country.

From FRA Williams to Gani Fawehinmi to Femi Falana to Yusuf Alli to Akin Olujimi to Afe Babalola to Wole Olanipekun to Rotimi Akeredolu to Tunji Abayomi to Olalekan Ojo to Niyi Akintola and a host of the other guys.

Been trying to solve the riddle behind this situation for quite a while. Anyone can help out ?

You will locate your answer in the Universities situated in Ibadan and Ife, just like the best Pharmacists in Nigeria are products of Ife.

What do you expect?

Any lawyer who doesn't pass through or have a link with ILORIN can't be that successful in Nigeria.

check the records before you rain insults on yourself

zenith4biz:
Seeth thou a man diligent in his business..........

...he shall stand before kings.

blackrules1:
What do you expect?

Any lawyer who doesn't pass through or have a link with ILORIN can't be that successful in Nigeria.

check the records before you rain insults on yourself

can you expantiate on that
because I disagree entirely

Chief Wole Olanipekun is indeed one and only SAN whose expertise and mastery of law makes Nigerian lawyers including other SANs shiver. His recent achievements have drawn him almost close to Are(Chief) Afe Babalola SAN in terms of achievement if not over overtaken the latter.

#NaijaLegalAnalyst

LordVarys:
Excerpts from a 2013 Sun Profile of the man himself

He’s certainly not a short man, yet Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), renowned legal luminary and Pro-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, is amazingly down-to-earth.

Blessed with a successful career and a great family, (his wife, Lara, is an Offa princess while his four children are all lawyers), the Ikere-Ekiti born former president of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) is also a philanthropist. Many are those individuals, groups and institutions that have profited from his large-heartedness.

He’s not a social critic, but when he speaks, you cannot miss the profundity of his thoughts. He’s not one of those lawyers with the title, social critic. But one thing that is evident from his mien is that right now, Chief Olanipekun is angry.

We’re running an unhealthy system

Is he as angry as he looks today? “Yes, I am not comfortable with the situation of things in the country,” he admits. “We are running an unhealthy system. It is worrisome that Nigeria does not have a system; we are running people’s affairs like a game of chess. You practise whatever catches your fancy and impose it on the people. And bad enough, the constitution is in a terrible state of health.

“Where are the schools we attended? Where are the values that we keyed into? Where are the teachers, the role models? Where are the politicians? In secondary schools, we used to read the Hansard of the parliament. People like you might not know how fluent people like S.L. Akintola and Anthony Enahoro were. A lot of people would think that Akintola was only versatile in Yoruba. We were reading their Hansard. See how Awolowo would marshal his points, research-oriented, research-based. Are we improving? No. And yet you and I would come together and say that the fault is in our time but not in us. Yet we are the cause too.”

He has little faith in current attempts by the National Assembly to tinker with the 1999 constitution. “The effort will take us nowhere,” he asserts.

So what solution would he proffer?

“We have to sit down to chart a new course for our future. Let us forget about the contentious word, ‘sovereign’ and let us sit down to talk. We must not allow the disintegration of this polity.”

There are indeed, a number of issues that give Chief Olanipekun the jitters. He’s worried that most politicians in the country don’t seem particularly concerned about the country, seeking to feather their own nests at every opportunity while Nigeria plunges down the hill.

Groups without ideologies

“Do we have political parties,” he wonders. “All we have are groups without ideologies. I respect personalities, but the general run of the dramatis personae in our political arena today is there to capture power without any clear-cut intention to serve the people. The Federal Government would say they want to ‘capture’ Lagos. Party ‘A’ would say ‘we want to capture this state. Rather than argue based on facts and criticise, our politicians would be cursing themselves. It is disheartening that the word, ‘capture’ has assumed pre-eminence in our political lexicon. These are among the issues that have coalesced into an Albatross on our necks.”

He’s also not pleased that some governors have not been at their desks for months, forcing such states to remain helpless and directionless. “It is the height of irresponsibility,” he avers. “If you volunteer to throw your hat into the ring in a bid to serve your people, it is unequivocally irresponsible for you not to be at your seat for four months. The constitution makes it clear that for any political office especially, there shall not be a vacancy for a split second. Patrick Yakowa, the late Kaduna State governor died in that unfortunate crash. Even before his remains were taken to Kaduna, his deputy was sworn in because political offices, like nature, abhor a vacuum. And sad enough, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is urging us to sympathise with them. Why did they not say that during the case of Yar’Adua?”

State Houses of Assembly are lily-livered

He describes the Houses of Assembly in the states as toothless dogs that neither bark nor bite. “The National Assembly is far more independent than all the state Houses of Assembly combined,” he submits. “They are lily-livered. Many go into the assembly without any idea or ideology. All they need is a sponsor whose bidding they will get there to do.”

Judiciary has fared well

But in spite of what anyone might say, Chief Olanipekun would give the judiciary a pass mark, insisting that it has fared better than the other two arms. In his view, the judiciary is being overwhelmed by problems created by the other two arms. Noting that every election in Nigeria is contested by the losing party or candidate up till the Supreme Court, he informs that judiciary ultimately get overburdened.

He’s not amused at the statement credited to former President Obasanjo alleging corruption among some judges. He says such a statement should be investigated.

“I am a Yoruba man and Obasanjo is older than me. I am a boy to him, but the truth needs be told. In an ideal situation, Obasanjo would have been invited to come and name names and give instances. If he does so and the instances are investigated and corroborated, then, he would be charged and prosecuted for being an accomplice, an accessory, because he knew but did not report. Obasanjo should apologise to Nigeria and Nigerians.”

We’re not fighting corruption

The distinguished lawyer believes the nation is yet to start a real fight against corruption. According to him, so many accusations and counter accusations are going on, yet the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) isn’t saying a word.

“See what has been going on between Oby Ezekwesili and the Federal Government over our foreign reserve – stinking startling revelations of unbridled corruption. What is the EFCC doing? You don’t say you rely on activists or private prosecutor; you rely on the system to prosecute all corrupt people. Look at the third-term agenda of Obasanjo for which people are saying that money passed round; why are we not investigating it? Why are we trying to wish it away as if it never happened?”

[b]Why my clients are in all political parties

Chief Olanipekun’s clientele is spread across all the political parties. He’s one of the very few lawyers in the country that would be defending a Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) governor in Nasarawa against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yet he would be defending the PDP in Abuja against the CPC. He would defend an Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in the morning against the Federal Government, and two hours later, he would be holding brief for President Jonathan in a case instituted against him by some opposition party.

Even at the peak of the bile and bitterness that accompanied last year’s governorship election in Ondo State, the esteemed lawyer was very close to the leading personae in all the feuding political camps. Not a few people have wondered how he keeps such relationships going.

“A lawyer must be sure-footed and creative,” he explains. “He must be a doctor, a psychologist; he must be the melting pot of all the professions. Above all, he must be close to God and always ask for the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. Here, we employ knowledge and fidelity to law and what is good. And in any event, we don’t win all our cases; we lose some.

“The only CPC governor in Nigeria, I led the team for his defence in Nasarawa, from the Tribunal up to the Supreme Court. Yet, I was counsel to Jonathan against CPC. Despite that, CPC had confidence in me.

“The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and PDP are not the best of friends. On November 21, 2011, the Federal Government charged Bola Tinubu, the ACN national leader before the Code of Conduct Tribunal. I led his very formidable team to ask the Tribunal to discharge and acquit him. I finished my submission around 12.30 pm that day. By 2.30 pm same day, I was in the courtroom of the Court of Appeal in the same Abuja to join my colleagues on the leadership of the defence team of the Jonathan election petition. It was the same day; defending Tinubu in the morning and Jonathan in the afternoon. That is the joy of the profession.

“I heard from the rumour mill that some people went to tell Jonathan that Wole is Tinubu’s friend and so on, but Jonathan reportedly told them: ‘Leave Wole. I have implicit confidence in him; the man will never compromise your case.’

“Although I work for President Jonathan, I don’t go to Aso Rock; I’m not a contractor. Tinubu respects me and I respect him too."[/b]

Me and Mimiko

The lawyer also explains his special affinity with Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State. “He is not just my client, he’s my soul-mate. When my mother was alive, I would be in Ilorin, he would leave his town, Ondo, for my house at Ikere and my mother would cook for him. He is one of my few friends who have shared same bed with me. The process of Mimiko becoming governor started when both of us were commissioners in the old Ondo State in 1992/93. I constituted and led the team of his election petition four years ago. We have been that close. He respects me and he will dare not ask me about my association with Tinubu or others. I don’t do the politics of my clients; I handle my job uncompromisingly. For me, my career is a covenant. If I have chosen to handle a case for a Fulani man, whether or not he has paid, me, if I betray him, God will punish me. That is my attitude to my work. No matter how close we are, the day you abuse that relationship by asking me to drop a case for unethical reasons is the day you will see the reddish part of my eyes. We as lawyers must appreciate our calling as a covenant with God.”

Day I confronted Gowon

In his undergraduate days at the University of Ibadan, Chief Olanipekun was an activist. He recalled an encounter he had with the then Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon. “When we were students at the University of Lagos, I led a group of student activists to the University of Ibadan. That was on April 1st, 1974. We were going to Adekunle Adepeju burial ground at Molete area. We were chanting peaceful songs. Military must go, democracy we want! Then the police came and started throwing teargas at us. We retaliated by throwing pebbles at them. We were eventually rounded up and put in the Black Maria, about 20 of us. We were kept in the Black Maria for one night. From there, they took us to Iyaganku prison. But we were sending out letters and relating with pressmen. The National Union of Nigerian Students (NUNS) mounted national and international pressure that the police wanted to kill us. We were held in that prison form April 1 to April 28. Then General Gowon made a national broadcast to announce that he had given us a state pardon.

“Then, I led the University of Lagos students to Dodan Barracks to protest what he meant by state pardon. I confronted the head of state, General Gowon. I said, what do you mean by state pardon? And he said to me, ‘my boy, do you want to go back to where I put you? You enjoyed the place?’ Then we started talking, and he accommodated us. He listened to us. But when we were going, Gowon said, you young men, you protested against the NYSC that I introduced, and you are protesting again. Don’t you know that you are the leaders of tomorrow?’ He pointed to me and said. “You in particular, you will be great because of the courage with which you addressed me.’

“Years later, I was flying to Rivers to defend Gov. Donald Duke, and Gowon and I were on the same plane. I greeted him and he was just looking at me. After sometime, he said, ‘where did I know you?’ Then I reminded him. And he said, were you that boy I prayed for? And he said you have to come and pay me royalties.”

My encounter with OBJ

The former NBA president would also not forget an encounter with then President Obasanjo when he led a team of lawyers to Aso Villa. “Before we left for Abuja, my brother, Femi Falana called to caution me to be careful with how I addressed the president. I prayed and waited on the lord before I went there. And when we got there, Obasanjo said, Mr. President of the NBA, can we send out the press? But I said, ‘they can’t misquote me. I have a prepared speech.’ I began to read my speech. The first thing I said was that the condition of the police was deteriorating. I said we have to address the situation. Then Obasanjo said, where did you get your facts? He said, ‘the money I spent on the Nigerian Police Force, I didn’t spent up to that prosecuting the civil war.’ And I said, ‘Mr. President, are you General Gowon?’ I didn’t say more than that, because he wasn’t the head of state during the war. And at a point, the president got angry and was banging the table. And he was really furious. He was talking and talking. But I didn’t say a word. But when it was getting too long, I stood up and said, Mr. President, can we take our leave? I said, ‘I didn’t bring myself here, and I can’t be talking back at you. You are old enough to be my father, and you are my head of state. And I said sir, I am very sorry to say this, my parents never harassed me. I am not used to being harassed. Can we take our leave?’ Then, there was pin-drop silence. Debo Akande started nudging me. Then after sometime, Obasanjo calmed down and said, okay let us continue.

“I understand that when we left, he was asking, who elected that rascal as president of NBA? Then Kanu Agabi replied him and said, that is one of the most serious-minded, intelligent lawyers Nigeria has ever produced. He is not a rascal.”

Me run for Ekiti governor? Never?

Hundreds of people from all walks of life have benefitted from Chief Olanipekun’s large heart and deep pockets. Last December, he donated an exquisite, multi-million naira auditorium to the Faculty of Law, University of Ibadan. In his Ikere-Ekiti homestead, and indeed, across Ekiti state, thousands of students have benefited from his scholarship scheme, while he still pays the tuition of hundreds. Of late, the rumour mill has been agog with news that Olanipekun has his eyes on the Ekiti governor’s seat. Will he take a break from his legal practice for a shot at Oke Bareke?  He can hardly hide his anger.

“That is preposterous,” he says. “I can never nurse that aspiration owing to several reasons. I am a core professional and I’m committed to my calling. I will never do anything that will distract me or take me out of the sacred calling I have embraced to serve humanity. God has not called me to go into politics. I’m not among those who would say God has spoken to them to become governor or president.

“And as a Yoruba man, one has to respect oneself. Look at those who have been governor of the state. Niyi Adebayo and Ayo Fayose are in their early 50s. Segun Oni is in his mid-50s. Governor Fayemi is a young man. At 61, I should be a senior brother to them. I should be their counsellor, advising them, not competing with them.”

It’s more blessed to give than to receive

So, if he’s not interested in politics, why is he such a cheerful giver? He says giving is his own way of spreading the gospel of Christ. “The Bible says it’s more blessed to give than to receive,” he replies. “Every wealth belongs to God and God gives people money for a purpose – to contribute to making the society better. Today, if I get to the University of Ibadan where I’m Pro-Chancellor, I’m glad because God has used me to change the face and texture of governance there without taking a dime.

“I once received text messages from two law students. I never met them. All they said was that they were in the Law School and in dire need of their tuition fee. I contacted the authorities there and paid their fees into the school coffers. When they were through, they sent me messages again, praying for me. When I clocked 20 years at the Bar, I instituted an endowment fund for young lawyers, both in Lagos and Ilorin. These are aside from the scholarship that I instituted in my state 16 years back. I recall all these among many others to convince privileged Nigerians that selfishness is no virtue in the eyes of God. As for me, I have chosen the path of selflessness because I spend from God’s pocket; no going back because it is my own way of spreading the gospel.”

Happy, sad moments

What was his happiest moment? “I have a couple of them,” he responds. “The day I got married, when I had my first baby and the day I took the SAN. When I became a lawyer, I was looking up to the Rotimi Williams, Tunde Ajayi and  the Ibekwes. And we were seven when I took the wig, without knowing anybody. Four of us were from Ondo then. Nigeria was still a country where you got it on merit though it was under the military.

“My saddest moment was the day my mother died. We were having an NBA function in Osogbo when the message came that her condition was deteriorating. She was in one hospital in Akure. I dashed down and the doctor advised that we should take her to the University Teaching Hospital. I carried her to the hospital and the doctors were trying to assist. We took her to the theatre. She just beckoned to me and held me and looking at me, closed her eyes and passed on, in my hands.”

http://sunnewsonline.com/new/wole-olanipekun-though-i-work-for-jonathan-i-dont-go-to-aso-rock/
Lalasticlala, obinoscopy

Thank you for bringing in this interview. I like it

Pass through ilorin, i didn't get it.

The Nigerian Harvey Specter

bluecircle470:


My friend, olanipekun is standing in for udom of PDP and not umana of APC

http://newsbeatportal.com/apc-lawyer-slams-gov-udom-in-tribunal-relocation-suit/

See the opening paragraph of that Link

A Lawyer, [size=14pt]Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN)[/size], representing the All Progressives Congress and its governorship election candidate in the April 11, 2015 governorship election in Akwa Ibom #State, Umana Umana, has slammed the decision of the Peoples Democratic Party and its candidate in the April 11, 2015 governorship election, #Udom Emmanuel, to file a suit seeking the return of the state election #tribunal back to Uyo, the state capital.

It is good to be good

Wole olanipekun is one of the best lawyer in his area of expertise but not the best cos in law there are divisions, just like saying that Prof Ben Nwabueze is the best lawyer because he wrote constitution for Gambia, Ethopia etc Prof Nwabueze is the best in constitution law. Likewise Olisa Agbakoba who is also top lawyer in maritime and constitution law. In essence there is nothing like best lawyer,he is only a top lawyer in his specialization

I see ethical issues raised in this thread.

The profession forbid any form of advertisement.

Correct me, if wrong.

Lalasticlala
Mynd44
Seun

ozoigbondu:
I can't categorically say but he is a lot better than that media lawyer called festus keynamo and the other noisy one called femi falana

I am disappointed that somenody like you can compare a rat with a cat. Keyamo is a baby lawyer.

We the Sons of Ikere Ekiti are proud of you sir.

Being a successful individual is a journey and not a destination.

Your legacies are but a source of inspiration for us.


Keep calm and be like Wole Olanipekun. S.A.N

Afe babalola that gave bakkasi to cameroun without any valid arguement at world court or was there a conspiracy to give part of crossriver to cameroun?

LegalAnalyst:
Chief Wole Olanipekun is indeed one and only SAN whose expertise and mastery of law makes Nigerian lawyers including other SANs shiver. His recent achievements have drawn him almost close to Are(Chief) Afe Babalola SAN in terms of achievement if not over overtaken the latter.

#NaijaLegalAnalyst

blackrules1:
What do you expect?

Any lawyer who doesn't pass through or have a link with ILORIN can't be that successful in Nigeria.

check the records before you rain insults on yourself

Afe babalola,folake solanke,FRA williams and other great lawyers in Nigeria didnt pass through or have a link with ilorin.

I respect him, late Gani Fawehinmi and Rotimi Williams. One odd of their shoes is better than Fetus Keyamo. I also rate Mike Ozekhome (Ozek Baba) highly.

DikeOha882:
Afe babalola that gave bakkasi to cameroun without any valid arguement at world court or was there a conspiracy to give part of crossriver to cameroun?

Afe Babalola and Femi Falana are also Ekiti men.

I'm amazed that they ended up having such a Governor.