A group of lawyers under the umbrella of Egbe Amofin Oodua has called for the postponement of the forthcoming Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) presidential election, citing concerns over the transparency, fairness and credibility of the electoral process.
The group said delaying the election would provide sufficient time to implement key electoral reforms agreed upon by stakeholders, which it believes are necessary to guarantee a credible poll.
Addressing journalists in Ibadan, Chairman of the Governing Council of Egbe Amofin Oodua, Isiaka Olagunju (SAN), alleged that the NBA leadership failed to honour an earlier agreement with presidential candidates and other stakeholders to postpone the election and introduce reforms.
According to him, one of the major proposals was the adoption of National Identification Number (NIN)-linked phone numbers for voter authentication instead of the current email-based verification system, which he claimed had been prone to manipulation in previous elections.
Olagunju expressed disappointment that the association opted to proceed with the election despite objections from several stakeholders, arguing that the decision could undermine confidence in the electoral process.
He maintained that complaints over the integrity of the NBA’s electronic voting system had persisted for years, citing alleged cases of email manipulation, voter profile irregularities and challenges with one-time passwords.
The senior lawyer also accused the NBA leadership of failing to maintain neutrality, alleging that some presidential aspirants had received preferential treatment during the campaign.
He further disclosed that Egbe Amofin Oodua had earlier challenged the composition of the NBA Electoral Committee in court, contending that its formation did not comply with the association’s constitution.
While acknowledging the intervention of the Attorney-General of the Federation in efforts to resolve the dispute, Olagunju lamented that the agreed reforms had yet to be implemented.
He urged the NBA to postpone the election, adopt NIN-based voter verification, carry out adequate voter sensitisation and implement broader electoral reforms before conducting the poll.
According to him, the campaign is not aimed at promoting any candidate but at safeguarding the credibility and integrity of the Nigerian Bar Association’s electoral process for future generations.
The group warned that proceeding with the election without addressing the concerns raised could further weaken members’ confidence in the association’s internal democratic process.
