By Ayomide Otitoju
The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Afam Osigwe, has assured members that the association’s July 18 presidential election will be free, fair and credible, with the Department of State Services (DSS) and foreign observers monitoring the process.
Osigwe said the security agency and international observers would independently monitor the election and provide objective reports on the conduct of the poll to safeguard its integrity.
He dismissed allegations of possible rigging and candidate imposition, insisting that he has no preferred candidate among the three Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) contesting to succeed him.
The candidates are Olumuyiwa Akinboro (SAN), Lateef Omoyele (SAN) and Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya (SAN), all from Nigeria’s South-West geopolitical zone.
The NBA president said he would not support any attempt to impose a candidate or bow to pressure from any interest group.
He accused the Yoruba lawyers’ group, Egbe Amofin Oodua, of attempting to influence the election by backing a particular candidate, stressing that the NBA constitution guarantees every aspirant the right to contest.
Osigwe, however, said the association would not object if any candidate voluntarily withdrew in support of another, provided such a decision was made without coercion.
He also rejected claims that he was interfering in the electoral process, explaining that the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) operates independently and does not take instructions from the NBA leadership.
To further demonstrate his neutrality, Osigwe disclosed that he would not vote in the election.
“I will not vote in that election if that will give members confidence in the process. My priority is to ensure a seamless transition and a credible election,” he said.
He added that any allegations of rigging were capable of damaging the association’s reputation and urged members to avoid blackmail and unfounded claims.
Osigwe also confirmed that a service provider engaged for the election was briefly arrested but said the individual had since been released, although some electronic devices remained in the custody of security agencies.
His comments followed calls by Egbe Amofin Oodua for the postponement of the NBA presidential election over concerns about the transparency of the process.
Speaking in Ibadan, the Chairman of the group’s Governing Council, Isiaka Olagunju (SAN), alleged that the NBA leadership failed to implement previously agreed electoral reforms, including the use of National Identification Number (NIN)-linked phone numbers for voter authentication instead of email verification.
The group argued that postponing the election would allow sufficient time to implement the reforms and strengthen confidence in the electoral process.
