NBA: Osigwe promises free, fair national election, rejects rigging claims 

President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, has defended the integrity of the association’s electoral process, dismissing allegations of planned rigging and insisting that the 2026 national officers’ election will be free, fair, and transparent.

Addressing journalists in Abuja on Friday, hours before voting was scheduled to commence, Osigwe said the election would begin immediately after midnight on July 18 and end by midnight on July 19, producing a new set of national officers to take over from the current National Executive Committee (NEC) at the end of August.

The NBA boss described as unfortunate the controversies that have trailed the election, accusing some lawyers and candidates of making unfounded allegations of electoral manipulation even before voting had begun.

“It is unfortunate that some lawyers and some candidates have chosen to play fast and loose with the truth and allege rigging even when the process has not commenced,” he said.

Osigwe defended the Constitution of the Electoral Committee of the NBA (ECNBA), explaining that its initial five-member composition was proposed by the National Executive Committee (NEC) and unanimously ratified by the National Executive Council in Benin in November 2025.

According to him, following the registration of the amended NBA Constitution by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), which expanded the committee to seven members, two additional members were appointed, and their inauguration reported to NEC without objection.

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The NBA president accused some members who had participated in approving the committee of later approaching a court in Ibadan to challenge its legality. He cited the case instituted by former Chairman of the NBA, Ibadan Branch, Ibrahim Lawal, who obtained an injunction restraining the ECNBA from functioning.

Osigwe questioned the urgency of the suit, noting that it was filed months after the committee had been constituted, and described as contradictory the court order restraining him from convening a NEC meeting to reconstitute the committee.

He also criticised another court order which sought to compel the ECNBA to process only the nomination of a candidate endorsed by Egbe Amofin O’odua.

According to him, the claim that the NBA presidency was zoned exclusively to the South-West was false, explaining that the NBA Constitution recognises zoning to the Western Region, comprising the South-West as well as Edo and Delta states, adding that “The premise of the lawsuit is false because there is no zoning to the South-West. There is zoning to the West”.

Osigwe disclosed that the NBA had approached the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, in an effort to resolve the disputes amicably but said the association rejected what it considered unilateral directives rather than a mutually negotiated settlement.

Osigwe noted that the Court of Appeal affirmed the NBA’s position that settlements must be consensual and not imposed by one party.

On security concerns, the NBA president revealed that one of the association’s service providers had been arrested and his laptop confiscated before his eventual release.

Although he declined to identify the individual, Osigwe said the NBA was technically assessing whether any information relating to the election had been compromised. “We believe that the arrest was targeted at our election”, adding that measures had been put in place to ensure that any access to election-related data would not affect the integrity of the process.

To boost confidence in the election, Osigwe said the NBA had agreed to remove email-based one-time password (OTP) authentication after concerns were raised by some candidates that email accounts could be compromised.

He disclosed that the association would, instead, rely solely on SMS authentication, a decision he said would cost the association about N50 million to implement.

He also rejected calls for direct National Identification Number (NIN) verification during voting, arguing that linking the election to the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) database could disenfranchise members whose names differ from NBA records, particularly female lawyers who changed their names after marriage.

He maintained that registered telephone lines used for voting were already linked to verified NINs, making additional verification unnecessary.

Responding to allegations that he was attempting to impose a preferred presidential candidate, Osigwe insisted that the ECNBA operates independently and does not take instructions from him.

Although he acknowledged having a constitutional right to vote, he announced that he would abstain from voting in the election to further reassure members of his neutrality. “I have now said I will no longer vote, if that will give them comfort,” he said and also dismissed claims that a possible boycott by Egbe Amofin O’odua would affect the election, saying participation remained a personal choice and that no valid reason had been presented to justify staying away from the polls.

Osigwe clarified that while Egbe Amofin O’odua is a registered association of lawyers, it is not recognised under the NBA Constitution, unlike statutory forums established by the association and urged lawyers to avoid making unsubstantiated allegations capable of damaging reputations and undermining confidence in the NBA’s democratic institutions.

“We are committed to holding a free and fair election that has integrity. We want a process that is fair to all, transparent and one that every member can trust”, he said.