Lev Shevtsov20
September
2026
23:16
A column about lawyer, founder of the Nigeria Advance Party and presidential candidate Olatunji Akinwande Braithwaite, known as Tunji Braithwaite, has been published in Nigeria. His life and political activities are examined in an article by lawyer Chidi Anselm Odinkalu for Premium Times Nigeria.
Legal practice
Braithwaite was born on September 17, 1933, and became a lawyer in 1961. At the beginning of his career, he earned a reputation as a public-interest advocate who took on unpopular cases. Less than two years after starting his practice, he joined the legal team representing Obafemi Awolowo in a treason case.
Among Braithwaite’s clients was musician Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. As the columnist writes, the lawyer supported political participation based on clear ideology, as well as the defense of trade union rights. He later earned two postgraduate degrees, including a doctorate, in three years and published works on the philosophy of law.
Party and elections
In 1978, Braithwaite founded the Nigeria Advance Party, or NAP. The party proclaimed an ideology of egalitarian humanism, but Nigeria’s Federal Electoral Commission initially refused to register it for the 1979 elections, citing insufficient representation across the country.
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In 1982, the commission nevertheless registered NAP. In the 1983 presidential election, Braithwaite was the sixth candidate and advocated equal citizenship for all. At the end of that year, military officer Muhammadu Buhari ended Nigeria’s brief period of civilian rule.
Opposition to the military regime
In 1997, Braithwaite opposed plans by military ruler Sani Abacha to impose himself on the country as its unopposed leader. After civilian rule was restored in 1999, Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission restored NAP’s registration. In 2012, the party was deregistered because it had not won any seats during an electoral cycle.
Tunji Braithwaite died on March 28, 2016. At the time of his death, he had worked for more than 55 years as a lawyer and public-interest advocate. The columnist notes that his influence did not depend on holding public office.
