By Aliyu Umar Mohammed
The post of a party legal adviser is not for novitiates, it is not a field for trial and error because legal errors are too expensive for the party as well as the system. Legal errors in the public domain are difficult to reverse, and if ever reversible, costly in time effort and credibility of the party.
Advice must be professionally targeted; legal advisers must therefore not only be sharp-shooters but also great mask men anything less than that is a liability or even a disaster to the party.
Political parties in Nigeria have witnessed a gross abuse of the positions of legal advisers over the years in terms of quality, first there is the alibi that there are no set constitutional or statutory qualifications for legal advisers, the parties therefore unfortunately decide the qualifications which have turned out to be in most cases potpourri of sorts, inadequate for legal counsel and support.
The political reforms in party administration introduced by the All Progressive Congress gave birth to emergence of competent professionals as party leaders with prerequisite qualifications. In Kebbi State *Barr Bello Abubakar Bayawa* was elected the party State legal adviser
Barr Bello Abubakar Bayawa plays significant role in the running of the All progressive Congress APC In Kebbi State, as the custodian of the Party’s legal framework, he ensures all activities complies with the law to prevent dispute and electoral sanctions.
Barr Bayawa’s professional guidance made Kebbi APC the best in compliance with the relevant sections of the electoral laws, party’s constitution and the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria always in the fore front in adherence to democratic principles and conduct as directed by the party leader, Dr Nasir Idris (Kauran Gwandu, Gwarzon Daular Usmaniyya), Executive Governor of Kebbi State
Bayawa has been instrumental to the establishment of electoral laws and regulations awareness campaigns among other legal reforms he spearheaded, he has successfully organized the conduct of training on voter registration and facilitated trainings for legal advisers at various organs of the party in the state on conflict mitigation and dispute resolution whose resultant effect is the rancour free ward and local government congresses conducted across the state in February 2026
Practice of legal advising of a political party requires not only continuing education but also a multi-disciplinary exposure a visible traits in Barr Bello Abubakar Bayawa.
Legal matters in political party administration are by nature polygonal and polycyclic Bayawa’s choice is therefore an excellent decision given his track records in the legal practice , a psychologist ,social historian, logician, experimentalist, behaviorist and competent in analyzing complex legal issues, Barr Bello Abubakr Bayaw is certainly the best ever party legal adviser in history of the All Progressive Congress in Kebbi State, his handling of complex web of constitutional provisions, electoral laws, party constitution and other regulatory guidelines stands him out in the forum of APC State legal advisers, drawing accolades from Prof Abdulkarim Abubakar Kana SAN the APC National legal adviser The Kebbi State All Progressive Congress has no record of internal legal dispute throughout Bayawa’s tunure largely due to his proficiency and professional proclivities.
Aliyu Umar Mohammed
(Shattiman Mera)
Political Affairs Commentator writes from Birnin Kebbi
