Nigeria’s influential Yoruba lawyers’ association says the Bar cannot credibly champion democracy in the country while conducting elections that many of its own members no longer trust.
The post-election crisis rocking the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) deepened on Saturday as Egbe Amofin O’Odua, the umbrella body of Yoruba lawyers, rejected the outcome of the Association’s 2026 national elections, describing the exercise as a “sham” and demanding an independent forensic examination of the electronic voting system.
In a communiqué issued after its Extraordinary General Meeting in Ibadan, Oyo State, the association said the election fell “seriously short of the standards of credibility, transparency, fairness, equity and procedural integrity” expected of the NBA.
It consequently dissociated itself from both the electoral process and the results produced by it.
The development marks the strongest institutional rejection yet of the disputed election and significantly raises the stakes in the growing controversy surrounding the emergence of the NBA’s new leadership.
Egbe Amofin said its position followed a review of widespread complaints by presidential candidates and members of the Bar, including concerns over the constitution of the Electoral Committee of the NBA (ECNBA), the competence of the electronic voting service providers, voter authentication failures, prolonged disruption of the voting platform, non-delivery of one-time passwords (OTPs), the reported disenfranchisement of thousands of lawyers and allegations that multiple voting platforms were used during the exercise.
The association also cited reports that some presidential candidates themselves were unable to cast their votes, describing the development as unprecedented in the history of the Bar.
Although acknowledging that some of the allegations require investigation, Egbe maintained that the sheer volume of complaints, combined with admitted technical failures and low voter participation, had undermined confidence in the process.
“No responsible organisation with integrity will identify with such an election nor its outcome,” the communiqué stated.
The body also commended the intervention of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, during the electoral process, arguing that his efforts to encourage a credible election were unfairly portrayed as an attempt to “hijack” the Bar by what it described as a “cabal” that had held the NBA hostage.
Calls for sweeping reforms
Beyond rejecting the election, Egbe Amofin proposed far-reaching reforms to the NBA’s electoral architecture.
Among its recommendations are an independent process for appointing members of the ECNBA, transparent procurement of election technology providers, stronger voter authentication measures, comprehensive testing of electoral systems before deployment, publication of a verified voters’ register, immutable election timelines, independently monitored complaints mechanisms and the preservation of electronic records for forensic examination where disputes arise.
The association insisted that the NBA must never again conduct an election whose credibility becomes the subject of controversy after voting has begun.
Expansion across Nigeria
In what observers see as another significant outcome of the meeting, Egbe Amofin resolved to establish state branches across the country to strengthen its institutional presence within the NBA and provide platforms for professional engagement, mobilisation and the protection of members’ interests.
The association also announced plans to institute an annual lecture in honour of Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, whom it praised for his enduring contributions to the legal profession and the Yoruba Bar.
‘You may capture an office…’
In one of the communiqué’s most striking passages, Egbe Amofin warned against what it described as attempts to manipulate the Bar’s democratic process, declaring that leadership of the NBA “is not an inheritance” and cannot legitimately be secured through technological manipulation, institutional capture or electoral malpractice.
“You may manipulate a process; you cannot permanently manipulate history. You may capture an office; you cannot capture the conscience of the Bar,” the communiqué declared.
The association maintained that its position was not directed against any individual office holder or candidate but was motivated by concern for the future credibility of the NBA.
“The Bar must remain a citadel of justice,” it said. “The Bar cannot credibly preach democracy to society while practising a democracy that its own members cannot trust.”
The communiqué was signed by Aare Isiaka Abiola Olagunju, SAN, Chairman of Egbe Amofin O’Odua, and the association’s General Secretary, Prince Adeniyi Adetunji Oso.
