NBA rejects FG move to stop 2026 officers’ election

The Nigerian Bar Association has rejected reports suggesting that the 2026 NBA National Officers’ Election has been postponed, insisting that only its National Executive Council has the constitutional authority to suspend or alter the electoral process.

The association stated this in a statement issued by its President, Afam Osigwe, SAN on Tuesday in response to a document purportedly containing recommendations from a sub-committee and comments allegedly made by the Attorney General of the Federation, which reportedly directed the postponement of the election and other far-reaching changes to the NBA’s electoral process.

The NBA described the alleged directives as unconstitutional, saying the Attorney General lacked the legal authority to interfere in the affairs of the association.

According to the NBA, the purported directives included the disbandment of the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association, postponement of the election of national officers, termination of the appointment of the current election service provider, establishment of a caretaker committee to conduct the election, incorporation of the National Identification Number into the voting process and a review of the NBA Constitution to remove universal suffrage.

The association maintained that it remains an independent professional body not subject to the control of the Attorney General or any arm of government.

“The Nigerian Bar Association believes that the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation could not issue the said directive as it is entirely unconstitutional, ultra vires the powers of the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation, and an attempt to bring the Nigerian Bar Association under the control of the office of the Honourable Attorney General,” the statement read.

It added, “For the record, the Nigerian Bar Association is an independent body not under the control of the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation.”

The NBA argued that under Section 10(2) of the Legal Practitioners Act, external interference in the affairs of the association is only permitted under limited circumstances, none of which currently applies.

The association also questioned the authenticity of the purported report, noting that it was neither issued on the official letterhead of the Office of the Attorney General nor formally communicated to the NBA.

“We consider the report suspect as the report is not contained on the official letterhead of the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation. The Nigerian Bar Association is not in receipt of any communication from the office of the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and cannot take it as the position of the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation,” it stated.

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The NBA further explained that the meeting convened by the Attorney General in June was aimed solely at exploring an amicable resolution of pending litigation instituted by Egbe Amofin and did not empower any sub-committee to issue binding directives or interfere with the association’s electoral process.

It also criticised the composition of the sub-committee, alleging bias because it was chaired by a senior lawyer who had links to one of the parties in the ongoing court cases.

On the proposal to introduce NIN verification into the election, the NBA said it had already assessed the idea but concluded that implementing it at this stage could disrupt the election.

“The Nigerian Bar Association, since the time that Aare Muyiwa Akinboro raised the issue of the use of NIN in the electoral process, checked the risk assessment and has come to the conclusion that any modification of the current platform configuration will truncate the election, particularly as the NIMC platform may not be able to accommodate the surge in authentication requests during the period of the election,” it said.

The association also defended its current election service provider, dismissing arguments that the provider should be replaced because it is a sole proprietorship.

“It is discriminatory to contend that merely because a service provider is a sole proprietor, he cannot provide services, when most legal practitioners, including members of the Committee, have sole proprietorship law offices where they continue to discharge stellar legal practice,” the statement added.

Reaffirming its position, the NBA said the election would proceed as scheduled by the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association.

“The Nigerian Bar Association is an independent body not subject to the control and directive of the office of the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation or any other arm of government.

“The NBA National Officers’ electoral process shall continue as scheduled by the ECNBA,” it stated.