The Atiku Media Office has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of interfering in the forthcoming Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) elections, alleging that the process is being used as a trial run for manipulating the 2027 general elections.
In a statement issued on Thursday through its official X handle, the media office alleged that the government was extending what it described as “state-sponsored toxic politics of coronation” to the NBA electoral process.
The group claimed that attempts to impose preferred candidates and undermine internal democratic processes within the NBA mirrored what it alleged were plans to influence future political elections.
“We are concerned that President Bola Tinubu has brought his state-sponsored toxic politics of coronation to bear on the election of the Nigerian Bar Association,” the statement said.
The Atiku Media Office further alleged that the administration was weakening opposition parties, creating divisions within political groups and undermining democratic institutions ahead of the 2027 elections.
It also accused government officials and their allies of using legal processes to influence the outcome of the NBA election by pushing for the disqualification of some candidates.
“There have been media reports of how this government and its agents have resorted to the use of the courts to railroad members of the Bar into settling for its preferred candidate,” it said.
The group insisted that the NBA election remained the responsibility of the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA), which was established by the association’s National Executive Committee in line with its constitution.
It warned government officials against interfering in the process, urging them to allow the legal profession to conduct a free and credible election.
The statement alleged that the reported involvement of security agencies in the process was an attempt to frustrate the election.
“It is disgraceful and a negation of democracy that despite the failed efforts to shift the polls, even with the open support of the Attorney General of the Federation, officials of government are now deploying security agents to arrest service providers and frustrate the election,” it claimed.
The media office concluded that the alleged developments demonstrated how the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) intended to approach the 2027 general elections.
The Presidency, the Attorney General of the Federation and the Nigerian Bar Association had not responded to the allegations at the time of filing this report.
