• ‘DISQUALIFY HIM IF ….,’ SAYS NAZA

• ORDER HIM TO RETRACT EMAIL – EDOKWE

• ‘MY HANDS ARE CLEAN’ – AJIBOYE

The Electoral Committee of the NBA (ECNBA) has queried incumbent NBA Assistant Publicity Secretary, Mr. Charles Ajiboye over allegations of deploying official assets to bolster his electoral fortunes in the forthcoming NBA Election.

In petitions obtained by CITY LAWYER, prominent blogger Bridget Edokwe and Ajiboye’s predecessor-in-office Ferdinand Naza accused Ajiboye of abuse of office aimed at conferring unfair advantage to himself at the poll. 

They asked the electoral umpire to investigate the allegations and sanction Ajiboye if found culpable. The trio are gunning for the position of NBA Publicity Secretary.

Ajiboye has however denied the allegations, describing their petitions as petty and baseless.

Edokwe asked the electoral committee to “order Mr. Charles Ajiboye to stop forthwith from using any NBA official website, Channels and platforms to publish and distribute his name, picture or any offer whatsoever during the pendency of his candidature.”

She also urged the ECNBA to “order Mr. Charles Ajiboye to withdraw the unfair offer of advantage of being volunteers for NBA AGC 2024 he made to young lawyers with the aim of influencing them to support him in his National Publicity Secretary election bid.

“It is my further appeal that his withdrawal of the offer be made through the same official channels that he used to publish the offer.”

Dated June 18, 2024 and received by ECNBA the next day, Edokwe accused Ajiboye in the petition of promotion and publication of his image and name through NBA official websites and channels with the aim of getting undue publicity.

She also accused the NBA Assistant Publicity Secretary of harvesting young lawyers’ data, including their SCN Number, through official NBA platforms with the aim of influencing them for his election.

In his petition dated 19th June, 2024 and titled “A CASE OF MISUSE OF NBA EMAIL PLATFORM FOR CAMPAIGNING AGAINST MR. CHARLES AJIBOYE,” Naza alleged that “On 18th day of June, 2024, Mr. Ajiboye used the NBA’s official email platform to disseminate campaign materials. This behavior represents a clear breach of ethical standards and electoral guidelines, providing him with an unfair advantage that is not available to other candidates.”

He stated that “The use of official NBA communication channels for personal campaigning is likely in violation of the NBA’s electoral guidelines, which are established to ensure a fair and impartial electoral process.”

Urging the electoral umpire to investigate the allegations, the former NBA publicist also asked the ECNBA to “Impose appropriate disciplinary measures against Mr. Ajiboye if he is found guilty of the alleged misconduct. These measures may include disqualification from the current electoral race and other sanctions deemed appropriate by the committee.”

In a rebuttal made available to CITY LAWYER and addressed to the ECNBA, Ajiboye questioned the motivation behind his opponents’ allegations, saying both petitions were misleading and devoid of any fact or evidence.

He stated that Naza’s petition lacked any documentary support that would necessitate a rebuttal, adding that Edokwe’s petition was a distortion of facts.

Ajiboye stated that he has never used NBA’s official platforms to promote his candidacy, did not harvest the data of young lawyers, and never enjoyed any undue advantage to influence the forthcoming election.

He stated that the actions complained of are perfectly in line with his constitutional duties, adding that while the current Publicity Team has deployed an email system which automatically includes the sender’s picture and name to foster a personal connection with members of the NBA, he does not have direct access to members’ data or the NBA’s Twitter handle.

His words: “It is strange and laughable that I can be persecuted for promoting the activities of NBA fora, sections, and committees by people who want to be Publicity Secretary.

“It is impossible for me to become inefficient simply because it scares anyone. I’m committed to Nigerian lawyers and I will perform in accordance to the oath of office I took to my last day in office.”

The ECNBA is yet to decide on the petitions.

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