A group of Yoruba lawyers has called for the postponement of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) presidential election, raising concerns over the transparency and credibility of the voting process.
The group, Egbe Amofin Oodua, said delaying the election would provide an opportunity to introduce reforms aimed at ensuring a free, fair and widely accepted outcome.
Speaking in Ibadan, Chairman of the group’s Governing Council, Isiaka Olagunju (SAN), accused the NBA leadership of failing to honour an earlier agreement reached with stakeholders to postpone the poll and implement electoral improvements.
Olagunju, a former NBA General Secretary, said key reforms agreed upon by presidential candidates and other stakeholders included replacing email-based authentication with a system that uses lawyers’ National Identification Number (NIN)-linked phone numbers for voter verification.
He argued that adopting NIN-linked phone authentication would strengthen security, reduce possible manipulation and improve confidence in the election process.
The senior lawyer expressed disappointment that the NBA leadership decided to proceed with the election despite concerns raised by members.
According to him, previous NBA elections had faced complaints over issues such as email manipulation, voter profile concerns and challenges involving one-time passwords, adding that similar problems should not be repeated.
He called on NBA President Afam Osigwe (SAN) and the association’s Electoral Committee to suspend the election until the proposed reforms and proper voter awareness campaigns are completed.
Olagunju also questioned the neutrality of the electoral process, alleging that some actions by the NBA leadership had created concerns among members about equal treatment of all candidates.
He disclosed that Egbe Amofin Oodua had previously taken legal steps challenging the composition of the NBA Electoral Committee, claiming that the appointment process did not comply with the association’s constitution.
The lawyer acknowledged the intervention of the Attorney-General of the Federation in encouraging dialogue between stakeholders but said some recommendations from the discussions had not been implemented.
Among the proposed changes, he listed improved voter authentication, postponement of the election for better preparation and wider reforms to strengthen the NBA electoral system.
Olagunju maintained that the call for postponement was not in support of any candidate but was aimed at protecting the reputation and future credibility of the legal profession’s umbrella body.
He warned that conducting the election without addressing the concerns could further reduce members’ trust in the NBA’s electoral process.
The group urged lawyers to remain committed to transparency, fairness and reforms that would ensure future NBA elections command confidence among members.
