The President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mazi Afam Osigwe (SAN), on Friday declared that no candidate would be imposed in the association’s forthcoming national election, insisting that every qualified aspirant must be given an equal opportunity to contest.
Osigwe also dismissed allegations that the election had been rigged, describing such claims as “political propaganda” aimed at discrediting the NBA’s electoral process even before voting commenced.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of election,in Abuja, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria maintained that the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association was independent and had never received instructions from him.
He said, “No candidate will be imposed in this election. Our position is straightforward. If there is only one candidate, that person goes unopposed. However, where there is more than one aspirant, there must be an election.
“We want a free, fair and credible election. The allegations that we intend to rig the election are nothing more than political propaganda. Some people simply keep repeating the same falsehood in the hope of influencing public opinion.”
The NBA president traced the controversy surrounding the election to legal actions challenging the composition of the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association, insisting that the committee was constituted in line with the provisions of the association’s constitution.
According to him, the committee was initially inaugurated with five members following approval by the National Executive Committee in Benin before two additional members were appointed after amendments to the NBA Constitution expanded the committee to seven members.
Osigwe alleged that despite participating in the NEC meeting where the committee was unanimously approved, some lawyers later approached a court in Ibadan to challenge its legality.
He said, “There is video evidence showing that the proposal was made and duly ratified by NEC. Yet they went to court and alleged that the committee was never approved.”
He criticised court orders restraining the Electoral Committee from carrying out its duties, describing the development as contradictory because another order also prevented him from convening a meeting to reconstitute the committee.
The NBA president further accused some groups of attempting to prevent other qualified aspirants from contesting the presidential election under the guise of zoning.
He explained that the NBA Constitution recognised zoning to the Western Region, which includes the South-West as well as Edo and Delta states, and not exclusively to the South-West.
“Democracy can only thrive when every qualified candidate is given the opportunity to contest. Any attempt to ensure that only a preferred candidate is allowed to run while preventing others from participating will be firmly resisted,” he said.
Osigwe disclosed that the NBA had made major adjustments to its electronic voting system to strengthen confidence in the election despite the absence of evidence that its existing platform had been compromised.
He revealed that the association would spend about ₦50 million to deploy a specialised SMS authentication system after agreeing to discontinue email verification following concerns raised by some candidates.
“We have been informed that implementing those measures will cost the NBA about ₦50 million. Despite the additional cost, we are prepared to provide the funds because we want every member to have confidence that the right thing is being done,” he stated.
To enhance transparency, Osigwe said the NBA had invited the Department of State Services, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to monitor the election.
He added that representatives of foreign countries had also been invited to send technical experts to audit and observe the electoral system.
“We have invited the DSS to deploy a technical team. We have also invited the EFCC and the ICPC. Beyond that, we invited representatives of foreign countries to send technical experts to examine, audit and monitor our electoral system,” he said.
Responding to allegations that he had a preferred presidential candidate, Osigwe acknowledged that, like every eligible member of the association, he had the constitutional right to vote but insisted that his personal preference had no bearing on the conduct of the election.
“I have the right to vote, but I am not the one conducting the election. The Electoral Committee is independent. I have never given instructions to the ECNBA, participated in its procurement process or interfered with its operations in any way,” he said.
The NBA president urged members to refrain from making unfounded allegations capable of undermining the credibility of the association.
“I appeal to our members to stop delegitimising our electoral process. Let us play clean politics and focus on the real issues. Whatever decision the Bar ultimately makes, we will respect it, but democracy can only thrive when every qualified candidate is allowed to contest,” Osigwe added.
