The stage is set for one of the most closely watched elections in the history of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

Thousands of lawyers are expected to cast their votes electronically tomorrow to elect new national officers in an exercise that has generated intense campaigns, high-profile endorsements, legal disputes and controversy.

The three candidates in the race to succeed Mazi Afam Osigwe (SAN) are Olumuyiwa Akinboro (SAN), Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe (SAN) and Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya (SAN).

It is the turn of the South-West to produce the NBA president.

With the Mid-West Bar opting out after producing two previous presidents– Augustine Alegeh (SAN) and Olumide Akpata – three core Southwest candidates will slug it out.

Akinboro is a Life Bencher. He was the NBA General Secretary and also served as Secretary and later Chairman of the NBA Abuja Branch.

Akangbe served as Chairman of the NBA Lagos Branch. He was Chairman of the NBA Finance Committee and is a member of the Body of Benchers.

Oyinkansola Badejo-Okunsanya was General Counsel in the Governor’s Office during the Fashola Administration, and before then, was a Senior Aide in Justice Sector Reform.

A member of the Board of the Lagos Court of Arbitration, she chaired the Planning Committee for the NBA’s 2024 Annual General Conference.

The Electoral Committee of the NBA (ECNBA) has published the final voters’ register after months of verifying lawyers’ eligibility.

The register contains well over 30,000 eligible lawyers, making it one of the largest electronic elections conducted by any professional body in Africa.

Only lawyers who satisfy the constitutional requirements, including payment of practising fees and branch dues within the stipulated deadlines, are eligible to participate.

There were fears that the election might be halted after the Managing Director of the election service provider was arrested.

But last night, the NBA National Executive Council (NEC) confirmed his release by security agencies and reaffirmed that the election would proceed as scheduled.

At its virtual emergency meeting yesterday, the NBA NEC unanimously resolved that the 2026 NBA National Officers and General Council of the Bar (GCB) elections would be held tomorrow.

The ECNBA briefed NEC on the state of preparations and assured members of its readiness to conduct a free, fair, transparent and credible election.

The committee said there was no operational or logistical basis for postponing the poll, as all necessary arrangements remained on course.

NEC stressed that no external interference or unforeseen circumstance would derail the approved electoral timetable, insisting that the credibility and integrity of the NBA’s democratic institutions must be protected.

The council also condemned the arrest and detention of the Managing Director of the election service provider, describing the development as disturbing.

Reaffirming the association’s commitment to the rule of law, NEC called on all eligible members to remain calm, participate peacefully in the election and uphold the ideals of democracy and the independence of the legal profession.

NBA NEC also urged all relevant authorities to respect the autonomy of the association and refrain from any action capable of interfering with its democratic processes.

One of the biggest pre-election controversies arose from attempts to halt or postpone the election following disputes that eventually reached the courts.

The Egbe Amofin Oodua had gone to court to obtain an order stopping the other candidates after it adopted Akinboro as the sole candidate, but the Court of Appeal later set the order aside.

Chairman of the Governing Council of the forum, Isiaka Olagunju (SAN), accused the NBA leadership of reneging on a prior agreement reached with presidential candidates and key stakeholders to postpone the election.

Olagunju expressed concern over the credibility of the electronic voting process, noting that the current system’s reliance on email verification is highly vulnerable to manipulation.

He pointed out that since 2018, members have faced persistent issues with compromised email addresses, altered voter profiles, and intercepted one-time passwords (OTPs).

As a solution, the forum asked that the NBA adopt verification processes linked to National Identification Numbers (NIN) and registered phone numbers.

“What we seek is credibility, transparency, and fairness,” Olagunju stated, adding that an emergency NEC meeting held to override the postponement agreement did not reflect the wishes of the majority.

He warned that proceeding without these reforms would erode long-term confidence in the legal body’s leadership and indicated that the forum would consult on its next steps if the election goes ahead.

Also yesterday, the Atiku Media Office warned against what it called attempts to shape the election’s outcome by backing a preferred candidate and utilising state security apparatus and the courts to secure the disqualification of certain aspirants.

According to the statement, this alleged meddling is part of a wider strategy by the administration to weaken democratic institutions and suppress opposition forces ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The opposition camp called for respect for the independence of the ECNBA, which holds exclusive constitutional authority over the poll.

The NBA leadership had rejected documents circulating on social media claiming that the Attorney-General of the Federation had ordered the suspension of the election, describing the reports as false and urging lawyers to disregard them.

To reinforce confidence in the process, the NBA invited domestic and international election observers, including Yiaga Africa, the European Union, the United States and United Kingdom missions, the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) and other organisations, to monitor the electronic voting process.

The move was seen as an effort to strengthen transparency and reassure members after weeks of controversy surrounding litigation and competing interpretations of the NBA Constitution.

The ECNBA has released detailed guidelines for tomorrow’s election.

Voting will be conducted entirely online through the ECNBA electronic voting platform.

Only lawyers whose names appear on the final voters’ register will be eligible to vote.

Eligible voters must use the unique voting credentials issued by the electoral committee, and each lawyer may vote only once.

Lawyers are advised to verify their eligibility before polling opens.

Complaints relating to voter information or technical issues are to be channelled through the ECNBA helpdesk.

Campaign activities are prohibited during the voting period, while candidates and their supporters are expected to comply with the electoral code of conduct.

The ECNBA has repeatedly assured members that adequate technological safeguards have been put in place to ensure a credible, transparent and secure election.

Its timetable indicates that voting will proceed as scheduled, with results expected after the close of polls following collation and verification. (The Nation)

Update news