By Sylvester Udemezue
INTRODUCTION:
The Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) recently recorded what many observers have described as a significant milestone in the evolution of the Association’s electoral process by publishing, on a branch-by-branch basis, the names of all members who participated in the 2026 NBA National Elections.
The published records include each voter’s voting reference number and timestamp while deliberately redacting sensitive personal information such as telephone numbers, email addresses and Supreme Court enrolment details in compliance with applicable data privacy laws. According to the ECNBA, the initiative is intended to enhance transparency, promote confidence in the integrity of the electoral process, and enable independent verification of voter participation without compromising members’ privacy. The Committee maintained that the publication reflects its continuing commitment to conducting elections that are free, fair, credible and accountable.
THE ECNBA DESERVES APPLAUSE:
This bold initiative deserves sincere commendation. By publishing the list of those who voted, together with their voting reference numbers and timestamps while protecting confidential personal information, the ECNBA has significantly enhanced the transparency, credibility and auditability of the NBA electoral process. The published records make it possible for voting activity to be independently scrutinised and verified, thereby substantially reducing doubts about voter participation and strengthening public confidence in the integrity of the elections.
Particularly commendable is the Committee’s decision to transparently disclose that the published register was arranged in chronological order of voting and to expressly identify a test account that should be excluded from the official vote tally, thereby demonstrating an admirable commitment to openness and accountability. This represents a remarkable improvement in the administration of NBA elections and deserves the appreciation of every lawyer committed to deepening transparency, electoral integrity and institutional credibility within the Nigerian Bar Association.
TRANSPARENCY SHOULD CONTINUE TO EVOLVE:
Transparency builds trust, and trust is the currency upon which every democratic institution survives. Thus, having congratulated the ECNBA, I respectfully wish to offer what I consider the next logical reform. In future NBA National Elections, particularly the election into the office of President, the ECNBA must consider publishing not merely the total votes scored by each candidate, but also the voting pattern showing which voter voted for which candidate. I appreciate that this suggestion may initially sound controversial. Indeed, many lawyers instinctively equate every election with secret balloting. Yet that assumption deserves closer examination.
ELECTIONS ARE NOT ALL THE SAME; THE NBA IS NOT A SOVEREIGN STATE NBA:
There is an important distinction between governmental political elections and elections conducted by a professional association. The NBA is a voluntary professional association governed by its Constitution and by rules made by its members. Accordingly, the NBA possesses considerable latitude to determine the level of transparency appropriate for its internal democratic processes, provided members are informed in advance and the rules are applied equally. If members know beforehand that votes in presidential elections will be open rather than secret, each voter simply casts his or her vote with that understanding. There is nothing inherently undemocratic about an open ballot if the governing rules clearly provide for it.
ACCOUNTABILITY IS A DEMOCRATIC VALUE:
Leadership is about accountability. Voting is also an exercise of responsibility. Those who seek to determine who leads over 200,000 Nigerian lawyers should ordinarily have no difficulty standing publicly behind their choices. An open voting record would produce several institutional benefits. First, it would discourage allegations of manipulation because every vote could be independently verified. Second, it would eliminate endless speculation after each round of NBA elections. Third, it would deepen confidence in the announced results. Fourth, it would make the electoral process almost completely auditable.
TRANSPARENCY AND PRIVACY CAN COEXIST:
I fully acknowledge that the ECNBA’s current electronic voting framework places strong emphasis on ballot secrecy and assures members that individual voting choices are inaccessible to ECNBA officials and third parties. That assurance is appropriate under the present rules. My suggestion is therefore not a criticism of the existing system. Rather, it is a proposal for future constitutional and policy consideration. If the NBA, after wide consultation, concludes that greater openness better serves institutional accountability (and I respectfully suggest it perfectly does, especially considering the current state of affairs in the profession), rules can be amended accordingly. Professional bodies around the world continually refine their electoral systems as institutional needs evolve.
LESSONS FROM OTHER ORGANISATIONS:
Interestingly, transparency in voting is not unknown elsewhere. For example, the American National Basketball Association publicly releases not only award voting totals but also the individual ballots submitted by each media voter, allowing the public to know exactly how every voter voted. That model demonstrates that openness can coexist with credibility and public confidence where the governing framework so provides. The NBA can study such practices and determine whether similar transparency would strengthen confidence in its own elections.
A PROPOSAL WORTH DEBATING:
This recommendation is not intended to favour any candidate or any political tendency within the Nigerian Bar Association. It is offered purely in the interest of institutional development. Great institutions grow because they are willing to interrogate existing practices and improve upon them. Whether the NBA ultimately retains secret balloting or adopts a more transparent model should emerge from robust constitutional debate, informed consultation and collective wisdom. What is most important is that the conversation should begin to take take place.
CONCLUSION:
The ECNBA has taken a significant step by publishing comprehensive voting participation records. That initiative deserves the appreciation of every lawyer committed to electoral integrity. My respectful recommendation is that the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association should now begin a thoughtful conversation on whether future presidential elections would not be even more transparent and credible if members could also know how votes were cast. Democracy flourishes where transparency, accountability and trust reinforce one another.
The Nigerian Bar Association has always aspired to lead by example. Its electoral processes should continue to reflect that aspiration. Meanwhile, there is no denying that the NBA is currently facing very tough times. Such tought times demand tough measures. If those measures are what it takes to reform and strengthen the NBA’s electoral system, restore its integrity, and rebuild the confidence of all stakeholders, then so be it. As the timeless legal maxim reminds us: Fiat justitia, ruat caelum: Let justice be done, though the heavens fall.
Respectfully,
Sylvester Udemezue (Udems)
Proctor,
The Reality Ministry of Truth, Law and Justice (TRM)
08021365545.
[email protected]
(20 July 2026)
