NBA president fires back at pre-election allegations, says unsubstantiated claims are ‘fast and loose with the truth’
Afam Osigwe, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) president, has dismissed allegations of election rigging as politically motivated “lies” aimed at undermining the process even before voting began.
Speaking hours before Friday’s national officers’ election, Osigwe slammed lawyers and candidates making unproven claims. “It is unfortunate that some lawyers have chosen to play fast and loose with the truth,” he said, noting previous rigging petitions were dismissed by courts for lack of evidence.
“If courts dismissed it and you couldn’t prove it, then there was no rigging in law.”
Osigwe emphasized he has “never planned, participated in, aided or condoned rigging” and even volunteered not to vote to prove neutrality.
To ensure transparency, the NBA invited DSS, EFCC, ICPC, and foreign technical teams to monitor the election. Osigwe called it contradictory for critics to oppose independent scrutiny after making accusations.
He also revealed the DSS arrested an election service provider and seized a laptop with election data a move Osigwe believes targeted the election. The provider has since been released.
Addressing calls for NIN verification, Osigwe warned it would disenfranchise married women with name mismatches. However, the NBA conceded to critics’ demands to replace email OTPs with SMS verification at an extra cost of “millions of naira.”
“We are trying to build an NBA that holds credible elections,” Osigwe urged. “Stop delegitimising our process, play clean politics, and focus on the issues.”
