<h4>Nigeria’s Body Of Lawyers, NBA , On The Cross As Presidential Election Crises Deepen</h4>
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<p><strong><a href="https://openlife.ng/">OpenLife Nigeria</a></strong> reports that as the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) heads towards another presidential election, an intense battle over the future of the legal body’s electoral process has erupted, exposing deep divisions among senior lawyers and raising fresh questions about transparency, governance and the rule of law within one of Nigeria’s most influential professional associations.</p>
<p>At the centre of the latest controversy is Egbe Amofin O’odua, the umbrella body of South-West lawyers, which has launched a robust defence of the directives issued by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) following the report of a three-member committee established to examine the crisis surrounding the 2026 NBA elections. The committee headed by 20th President of the association, Chief Whole Olanipekun SAN also included Prince Lanke Odogiyan SAN, the 22nd president, and Paul Usoro, the 29th president respectively. The group insists that the debate is not about personalities or regional interests, but about restoring integrity to an electoral process that, it argues, has suffered years of manipulation and declining public confidence.</p>
<p>In an extensive statement, the association questioned why NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, has become one of the strongest critics of reforms intended to make the election more transparent. To Egbe, opposition to measures designed to guarantee a free, fair and credible election raises legitimate questions about the commitment of the NBA leadership to electoral accountability.</p>
<p>The association revisited the troubled history of NBA elections, arguing that controversies over electronic voting, voter authentication, alleged vote-buying and manipulation of voters’ data have plagued the Association for years.</p>
<p>It recalled that the 2018 presidential election attracted widespread condemnation from prominent legal practitioners, including contestants who described the process as fundamentally compromised. In that election, Arthur Obi- Okafor, from the core South East was defeated by Paul Usoro SAN from the South-south. Allegations arising from that election eventually resulted in criminal prosecutions over the alteration of voters’ details, reinforcing concerns about systemic weaknesses in the electoral process.</p>
<p>Against that background, Egbe Amofin contends that the recommendations of the committee and the subsequent directives of the Attorney-General should be viewed as long-overdue reforms rather than political interference.<br />
Among the measures endorsed are the compilation of a fresh voters’ register, verification of voters through the National Identification Number (NIN), greater reliance on SMS authentication instead of email verification, and closer scrutiny of the payment of practising fees used to determine voting eligibility. According to the association, these reforms are intended to eliminate identity fraud, duplicate registrations and other abuses that have repeatedly undermined confidence in NBA elections.</p>
<p>The group also rejected suggestions that the Attorney-General lacked authority to issue the directives. It maintained that, as the nation’s Chief Law Officer and recognised leader of the Bar, the Attorney-General bears a responsibility to ensure compliance with Nigerian laws, particularly where issues of identity verification and statutory obligations are involved. It argued that participation by past NBA presidents and senior legal practitioners in meetings convened by the Attorney-General demonstrated broad institutional recognition of that role.<br />
A significant portion of the statement focused on the conduct of the NBA President during the committee’s work.</p>
<p>Egbe Amofin cited portions of the committee’s report indicating that although Osigwe initially agreed to participate in a virtual interaction with the panel, he allegedly failed to attend the meeting or respond to subsequent calls and messages from committee members. The association argued that this weakened later criticisms of the committee’s recommendations and raised questions about the NBA leadership’s willingness to engage constructively with efforts to resolve the electoral dispute.</p>
<p>The group also criticised what it described as attempts to portray the dispute as opposition to the emergence of a female <strong><a href="https://openlife.ng/">NBA</a> </strong>president. Egbe Amofin insisted that it supports greater female participation in the leadership of the legal profession, pointing to the South-West’s long <a href="https://www.vanguardngr.com/">history</a> of producing pioneering female lawyers and legal administrators. Its objection, the statement said, is directed not at any individual aspirant but at what it described as attempts by entrenched interests to impose preferred candidates on the Association through political influence rather than democratic choice.</p>
<p>Underlying much of the document is the association’s allegation that a powerful “cabal” has exercised undue influence over NBA leadership and electoral outcomes in recent years. It accused this group of manipulating internal structures, influencing appointments and seeking to predetermine succession within the Association. Whether through litigation, public advocacy or engagement with stakeholders, Egbe Amofin said it would continue to resist any attempt to compromise internal democracy or undermine the principle of equitable representation.</p>
<p>The association further defended its decision to institute legal proceedings over the electoral dispute, arguing that litigation became necessary only after repeated appeals to NBA organs and past leaders allegedly yielded no response. It maintained that recourse to the courts was driven by a desire to protect the integrity of the Association rather than to deepen divisions within the Bar.</p>
<p>Beyond the immediate controversy, the statement presents a broader warning about the institutional future of the NBA. For an organisation that routinely champions constitutionalism, electoral integrity and the rule of law in Nigeria’s public affairs, Egbe Amofin argues that its own internal governance must meet the same democratic standards it demands of political institutions.</p>
<p>The association therefore urged lawyers across the country to view the current dispute as an opportunity to rebuild confidence in the Association rather than another contest for political advantage. It called for elections that are transparent, verifiable and compliant with the law, insisting that only such a process can restore public trust in the NBA’s leadership and preserve the moral authority of the legal profession.</p>
<p>As the legal community inches closer to the 2026 NBA elections, the controversy has evolved beyond a disagreement over administrative directives. It has become a wider contest over institutional credibility, democratic legitimacy and the standards that should govern an Association whose members are expected to defend the rule of law across Nigeria.</p>
<p>For Egbe Amofin, the central question remains straightforward: if the objective of the proposed reforms is simply to guarantee a free, fair, transparent and credible election, why should any stakeholder oppose them?</p>
<p><em>Source: The Gavel</em></p>

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