Senior Advocate calls for fresh poll, alleges institutional bias and widespread irregularities in July 18 bar association vote
In a dramatic escalation of tensions surrounding the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) presidential election, candidate Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN, has formally petitioned the association’s leadership and several federal agencies, demanding an independent forensic audit and a fresh election claiming the July 18 poll was so deeply flawed that “there was no election.”
In a 19-page petition dated July 27, addressed to the Body of Benchers chairman, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), the General Council of the Bar, the NBA president, the Electoral Committee of the NBA (ECNBA), and security agencies including the EFCC and DSS, Akinboro called for “urgent intervention and redress.”
Key Allegations
The senior lawyer outlined a litany of irregularities, including:
· Institutional bias — Alleging that the NBA leadership openly backed winner Oyinkansola Badejo-Okunsanya during the campaign, using official platforms to support her candidacy while denying other contestants similar opportunities.
· Abandoned voter authentication — Claiming the ECNBA reneged on an agreement with presidential candidates to use National Identification Numbers (NIN) and phone numbers for voter verification, instead retaining a system based on Supreme Court enrolment numbers and email-generated One-Time Passwords (OTPs)—a system he says disenfranchised thousands.
· Platform switch without notification — Alleging that after the election portal suffered a cyberattack, the ECNBA migrated voting to a different platform without informing candidates or conducting the integrity tests required by the NBA constitution.
· Incompetent service providers — Questioning the qualifications of the vendors engaged for the election, alleging one lacked the experience necessary to conduct an online election of the NBA’s magnitude.
The Numbers Dispute
Akinboro highlighted that only 26,184 votes were cast out of 82,172 eligible voters—a turnout of less than 32%. He argued that the large number of lawyers who reportedly couldn’t vote due to OTP failures was sufficient to have affected the final outcome.
“The purported new portal did not pass the tests prescribed by the NBA Constitution and as such could not have hosted an election known to the NBA Constitution,” Akinboro stated. “In conclusion, there was no election.”
Election Results
Badejo-Okunsanya emerged winner with 12,317 votes (47.18% of total votes cast), defeating her closest challenger Lateef Akangbe, who secured 7,934 votes (30.39%). Akinboro finished third with 5,855 votes (22.43%).
Demands
Among Akinboro’s requests are:
· An independent forensic audit of the electoral process by a reputable audit firm
· A security investigation into the election’s conduct
· Publication of election observers’ reports
· Reconstitution of the ECNBA
· Conduct of a fresh election
Pre-Election Tensions
The 2026 NBA presidential election has been fraught with controversy from the start. The presidency was zoned to the western region, and pre-election disputes included litigation by Egbe Amofin O’odua, a Yoruba lawyers’ association, seeking to compel the NBA to recognize Akinboro as the sole consensus candidate for the zone.
On election day, Akangbe also demanded the poll’s suspension, citing the collapse of the electronic voting portal, alleged security breaches, and flaws in the voting process.
