The Egbe Amofin O’odua, the foremost association of Yoruba lawyers, has rejected the conduct of the 2026 Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) National Elections, calling on the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) to immediately suspend the declaration of results pending an independent forensic audit of the electoral process.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Saturday and signed by its Chairman, Aare Isiaka Abiola Olagunju, SAN, and Secretary, Prince Adetunji Osho, SAN, the association described the election as falling far below the standards of transparency, credibility and fairness expected of Nigeria’s largest body of legal practitioners.
The group expressed concern that the NBA, which has consistently championed credible elections, constitutional democracy and the rule of law in Nigeria, should not conduct an electoral process that, according to it, has generated widespread questions about its own integrity.
According to the statement, the election was characterised by a delayed commencement of voting, unequal presentation of candidates on the initial ballot, prolonged technical failures, suspension of voting for several hours, cancellation of votes already cast, repeated changes to the voting platform and the eventual shutdown of the portal shortly before the close of polls.
Egbe Amofin further lamented that despite the extended voting period, more than half of the over 82,000 accredited voters were reportedly unable to cast their ballots, with many lawyers abandoning the process after repeated unsuccessful attempts to access the platform.
The association said reports that even two presidential candidates were unable to vote before the close of polls raised serious concerns about the credibility and inclusiveness of the election.
The body also questioned the Electoral Committee’s explanation that the voting platform had been subjected to a cyberattack, noting that the ballot interface presented to voters after voting resumed differed materially from the one initially deployed.
According to Egbe Amofin, one presidential candidate’s name had earlier been misspelt and his photograph omitted from the ballot, but both issues were corrected after voting resumed, indicating that changes were made to the platform after the election had already commenced.
While acknowledging that correcting the errors may have been necessary, the association argued that such post-commencement alterations inevitably raise legitimate questions about the continuity, auditability and integrity of the electoral process.
The association consequently demanded answers to several issues, including whether an independent forensic audit was conducted before voting resumed, who authorised the changes made to the ballot, whether candidates were notified before those changes were effected, why different voting links were deployed during the election, and why thousands of eligible lawyers were unable to vote while others experienced little difficulty.
It also questioned whether the integrity of votes already cast and the audit trail could still be guaranteed after the suspension of voting and subsequent modifications to the platform.
According to the group, these issues are fundamental to the legitimacy of the election and cannot be addressed through assurances alone.
Egbe Amofin therefore called on the ECNBA to suspend the declaration of any result arising from the election and immediately commission an independent forensic audit of the electronic voting platform, audit logs and the entire electoral process by competent and independent experts.
It further maintained that if the integrity of the election is found to have been materially compromised, the exercise should be nullified and a fresh election conducted after adequate notice on a platform that guarantees transparency, reliability and equal opportunity for all eligible voters.
The association stressed that the controversy was not about the success or failure of any particular candidate but about preserving the institutional credibility of the Nigerian Bar Association.
In a firm conclusion, Egbe Amofin announced that it was dissociating itself from what it described as a “shambolic election” and declared that it would not recognise any result emanating from the exercise.
The latest intervention adds to growing concerns surrounding the conduct of the 2026 NBA National Elections, with several candidates, senior lawyers and professional groups having earlier raised objections over alleged cyberattacks, technical failures, voter disenfranchisement and other claimed irregularities during the electronic voting process.