By Daily Review Online
The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Afam Osigwe (SAN), has announced that the Department of State Services (DSS) and foreign observers will monitor the association’s presidential election scheduled for July 18 to ensure a credible and transparent process.
Osigwe said the involvement of security personnel and international observers was intended to safeguard the integrity of the election and provide an independent assessment of the exercise.
He dismissed concerns about possible rigging, assuring members that the election would be free, fair and conducted in accordance with the NBA constitution.
The NBA president also rejected allegations that he was backing or attempting to impose any of the three candidates contesting to succeed him. The contenders are Olumuyiwa Akinboro (SAN), Lateef Omoyele (SAN) and Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya (SAN), the only female candidate in the race. All three are from the South-West geopolitical zone.
Osigwe vowed not to interfere in the electoral process or yield to pressure from any group seeking to influence the outcome of the election. He accused the Yoruba lawyers’ association, Egbe Amofin Oodua, of attempting to impose a preferred candidate, stressing that the NBA would not prevent any aspirant from contesting to favour another.
He maintained that while candidates are free to voluntarily step down for one another, the association would not endorse any move aimed at denying a qualified aspirant the opportunity to contest.
According to him, the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) is an independent body that operates without interference from the NBA president or any other official.
To further demonstrate his neutrality, Osigwe disclosed that he would not cast his vote in the election, saying his priority was to ensure a seamless transition and an outcome that would command the confidence of lawyers and the general public.
He described allegations of planned rigging as attempts to tarnish the image of the NBA and urged members to avoid blackmail, rumours and unfounded accusations.
Osigwe also confirmed that a service provider engaged for the election had been arrested but later released, although some laptops belonging to the individual were seized.
His comments came amid calls by Egbe Amofin Oodua for the postponement of the election. The group argued that the poll should be delayed to allow the implementation of electoral reforms, including replacing email-based voter authentication with National Identification Number (NIN)-linked phone numbers.
Speaking in Ibadan, the Chairman of the Governing Council of Egbe Amofin Oodua, Isiaka Olagunju (SAN), alleged that the NBA leadership failed to honour an earlier agreement with stakeholders to postpone the election and introduce measures aimed at strengthening the credibility and transparency of the voting process.