Lawyers vote in NBA election amid legal disputes, controversy

Thousands of lawyers across Nigeria on Saturday began voting electronically in the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) national elections to elect new national officers, including a successor to the association’s outgoing President, Mazi Afam Osigwe (SAN).

Three Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) are contesting the presidency. They are Olumuyiwa Akinboro, a Life Bencher and former NBA General Secretary; Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe, a former Chairman of the NBA Lagos Branch; and Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, a former General Counsel in the Lagos State Governor’s Office and chair of the Planning Committee for the NBA’s 2024 Annual General Conference.

The NBA presidency was zoned to the South-West after the Midwest Bar declined to present a candidate, having produced two recent NBA presidents.

The Electoral Committee of the NBA (ECNBA) published a final voters’ register containing more than 30,000 eligible lawyers after verifying members who paid their practising fees and branch dues within the stipulated period.

Despite controversy surrounding the arrest of the Managing Director of the election service provider, the NBA National Executive Council (NEC) on Friday confirmed his release and resolved that the election would proceed as scheduled.

Following an emergency virtual meeting, the NEC said the ECNBA had assured members that all logistical and operational arrangements had been completed and that there was no reason to postpone the exercise.

The council, however, condemned the arrest and detention of the service provider’s managing director, describing it as disturbing and urging authorities to respect the independence of the association and avoid interference in its electoral process.

The election has also been challenged in court and criticised by some stakeholders.

Egbe Amofin Oodua had earlier obtained a court order seeking to stop the other presidential candidates after endorsing Akinboro as its sole candidate. However, the Court of Appeal later overturned the order.

On Friday, the group renewed its call for the election to be suspended, arguing that reforms were needed to strengthen the electronic voting process.

Its Governing Council Chairman, Isiaka Olagunju (SAN), alleged that the current email-based verification system was vulnerable to manipulation through compromised email accounts and intercepted one-time passwords. He proposed linking future voting to National Identification Numbers (NIN) and registered telephone numbers to improve transparency.

Olagunju warned that proceeding without such reforms could erode confidence in the association’s electoral process.

Also on Friday, the Atiku Media Office alleged that unnamed individuals were attempting to influence the election through the use of security agencies and the courts to favour a preferred candidate. It called for respect for the independence of the ECNBA.

The NBA also dismissed reports circulating on social media claiming that the Attorney-General of the Federation had directed the suspension of the election, describing the documents as false.

To enhance transparency, the association invited local and international observers, including Yiaga Africa, the European Union, the United States and United Kingdom missions, as well as the Transition Monitoring Group, to monitor the electronic voting process.

Voting is being conducted entirely online through the ECNBA platform, with each eligible lawyer allowed to cast only one vote using unique credentials issued by the electoral committee. The ECNBA said technical complaints would be handled through its helpdesk, while campaign activities remain prohibited during the voting period.

Results are expected after the close of voting following collation and verification by the electoral committee.