The Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) has issued details on how it will conduct the 2022 NBA Elections.

In a link obtained by CITY LAWYER, the ECNBA also stated that “Election result will be published on or before 24 hours post election.” However, Mr. Barry McCarty, the Dean of the Hans Denck School of Communication at Truett McConnell University, had while commending the speed with which results of the 2021 American Institute of Parliamentarians meeting voting results were delivered, noted: “A huge upside to electronic voting via @electionbuddy: we are getting the results of votes reported out 20–30 seconds after the polls are closed.”

The Electoral Committee has also provided details of its Help Desk for the election, showing that eligible voters may email the committee at support@evm.ng or call its helpline on 070-8067-2013.

The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) also encourage voters to “add ecnba@evm.ng to your contact list to prevent the email from being identified as spam.” 

The committee warned that “If you have not received the message by election day, either your phone number is not registered on your profile or we could not deliver the message to you due to DND that may be turned on.” It encouraged voters to deactivate their Do Not Disturb (DND) functionality in order to facilitate receipt of their voting credentials.

In an earlier Information Release, the ECNBA had stated that “Qualified Voters that experience issues receiving OTP through their email should check their SPAM / Junk Folders and on their phones may have to temporarily disable Do not Disturb (DND) following these steps:

a. 9mobile (Etisalat) numbers, Text START to 2442.
b. MTN numbers, Text ALLOW to 2442.
c. Glo numbers, Text CANCEL to 2442.
d. Airtel numbers, Text ALLOW to 2442  

Though the electoral umpire urged eligible voters to “Please visit www.ecnba.ng to confirm your eligibility to vote,” the ECNBA is yet to publish the final list of verified voters.

To view the video demo by INITS, ECNBA’s ICT Service Provider, click here

Below is the full text of the FAQs.

WHO DO I CONTACT WITH QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS?
All enquiries and questions regarding the NBA 2022 General Elections should be sent to the Election contact center via email at support@evm.ng & helpline: 070-8067-2013

Please include your SCN and Name in your message.
Please see link to detailed instructional text and animated video: go.ecnba.ng

HOW DO I CONFIRM MY ELIGIBILITY TO VOTE?
Please visit www.ecnba.ng to confirm your eligibility to vote.

HOW DO I VALIDATE/RESOLVE MY VOTING RECORDS?
Please visit votersrecordissue.ecnba.ng/ to validate or resolve your voting records.

HOW DO I VOTE?
Your voting link will be sent at 12.00AM GMT+1 on Saturday July 16 to the email address & phone number registered on your profile on the NBA Portal. Please check your Inbox, Spam, Junk and Trash Folders for a message from ecnba@evm.ng for the email.

Kindly add ecnba@evm.ng to your contact list to prevent the email from being identified as spam. Please DO NOT share the link with anyone.

Election will close at 11:59pm GMT+1 on Saturday July 16.
Additional reminders will be sent via email & text messages throughout the day.

I DID NOT RECEIVE MY NOTICE OR VOTING CREDENTIALS
If you have not received the message by election day, either your phone number is not registered on your profile or we could not deliver the message to you due to DND that may be turned on. To find out how to turn off DND, visit go.ecnba.ng and click on “DND”.

WHY IS MY ACCESS LINK NOT WORKING?
Your access link may not be working because:
• you have incorrectly entered it into your browser:
• confirm the access link has been entered correctly, with no additional or missing characters
• you are using an access link from a previous vote; this is more common if you are participating in a meeting with a series of votes:
• confirm you are using a current access link

If you have confirmed your access link is correct, try one of the following options:
• refresh your browser page
• close down your browser and reopen it
• Open a different browser (e.g., if you’re using Chrome, try using Internet Explorer, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, etc.)
• Use an incognito/private browsing window
• use a different device (e.g., if you’re using a computer, try a mobile phone or tablets

HOW DO I CONFIRM MY VOTE WAS RECEIVED?
You will see a confirmation message containing a confirmation code on your screen when you submit your ballot:
Please save your confirmation code in your records!

Your confirmation code:
• Is a unique, 15-character hash
• Cannot be used to identify you or your vote choices, so your anonymity is preserved
• Can be used to verify your vote:
o Has been tallied and included in the results
o Has not been tampered with from the time you voted to when the vote results are shared

A list of confirmation codes will be included with the vote’s results. You can verify your vote by matching your confirmation code to the list.

CAN I CHANGE OR DELETE MY VOTE?
Your vote is tallied and included in the results once you submit your ballot. It cannot be changed or deleted. You can only vote once.

HOW DOES THE ELECTION PORTAL PREVENT OTHERS FROM VIEWING MY VOTING CHOICES?
The Election platform powered by ElectionBuddy automatically uses SSL security for all communications, with 256-bit encryption – the same used by major banks. This means the connection between you and ElectionBuddy’s server is completely secure. When you open the ballot, you can make your choices, and submit your ballot, without anybody being able to see your choices.

WILL MY VOTE BE ANONYMOUS?
Only eligible voters are allowed to vote, however in storing your vote the data is converted to anonymous.

WHY AM I RECEIVING A 404 ERROR MESSAGE?
404 errors are usually due to a miscommunication between your web browser and our server. Try using one of the following options to solve the issue:
• Refresh your browser page
• Close your browser and reopen it
• Open a different browser (e.g., if you’re using Chrome, try using Internet Explorer, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, etc.)
• Use an incognito/private browsing window
• Use a different device (e.g., if you’re using a computer, try a mobile phone or tablet)

Please reach out to the support team if issues persist.

DO I NEED AN ACCOUNT TO VOTE?
You do not need an account to vote! You can access the vote and your ballot using the voting credentials in the notice (email) you received from ElectionBuddy.

WHAT TYPE OF COMPUTER OR SOFTWARE DO I NEED TO VOTE?
You can vote on the NBA 2022 general election on a variety of Internet connected devices, including: Desktop Computer, Laptops, Tablets and Mobile Phones.

You do not need any additional software, apps, or equipment.

WHEN WILL THE ELECTION RESULT BE READY?
Election result will be published on or before 24 hours post election.

ARE MULTIPLE BALLOT FORMATS AVAILABLE?
No!… A single ballot per eligible voter. You cannot vote multiple times.

ARE ELECTRONIC VOTES STORED FOR RECOUNT, INSPECTION AND REVIEW PURPOSES?
Yes!… A comprehensive post-election report will be submitted for audit purposes. The audited election report shall be presented to the election committee and NBA.

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