NBA ELECTIONS 2026: A FIESTY SEASON LIKE NO OTHER

CITY LAWYER SPECIAL REPORT

Barring any last-minute hiccup, Nigerian lawyers will head to the poll tomorrow to elect the association’s 33rd president, other national officers and members of the General Council of the Bar (GCB).

The build-up to the elections has been especially feisty, not least the dramatic and unprecedented arrest barely 48 hours to the election of one of the service providers for the election.

In response, the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) summoned an Emergency Meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) to review the incident and proffer the way forward. Rising from the meeting, NEC members condemned the arrest and resolved to forge ahead with the election following a briefing by the Chairman of the Electoral Committee of the NBA (ECNBA), Mr. Aham Ejelam SAN.

CITY LAWYER gathered that while 15 NEC members voted in favour of a postponement of the elections, 117 members voted that the elections must proceed as scheduled. Of the 256 NEC members who attended the emergency meeting, 124 members abstained from voting. Pro-postponement advocates argue that those who abstained were afraid of offending the NBA leadership among others, adding that it was a pyrrhic victory given that those who abstained were more in number than members who voted in favour of proceeding with the election.

The arrest of the service provider by DSS is perhaps the peak of controversies trailing the build-up to the election, even as it notched up the political temperature within the legal community.

THE EGBE AMOFIN O’ODUA CHALLENGE

If there is one group whose intervention has been very vigorous in this election cycle, it is the Egbe Amofin O’odua, the prominent body of lawyers of Yoruba origin. The reason is not far-fetched. Egbe is striving to be in the driver’s seat in determining who emerges as NBA President under the banner of Western Zone, having suffered defeat in the last two electoral cycles when the NBA Presidency was alloted to the Western Zone.

The NBA Constitution directs that NBA Presidency shall rotate among the three zones, namely Eastern Zone, Western Zone and Northern Zone. The Western Zone compromises the six core Yoruba States of Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Ekiti as well as the two Mid-west states of Edo and Delta.

Largely due to personal interest and the inability of the Egbe leadership to hammer out a consensus especially among its Presidential candidates, the bloc had tended to hand the initiative to its Mid-west cousins. Egbe’s seeming lack of political cohesion dates back to the heyday of its then revered and undisputed leader, Chief Bandele Aiku SAN. Aiku’s political decisions did not always align with those of Egbe’s then Deputy Leader and go-to senior lawyer, Chief Wole Olanipekun SAN. Some analysts argue that this largely contributed to the electoral black eye dealt the Egbe by the Midwest bloc, as Egbe repeatedly failed to prop up a consensus candidate. Following the demise of Aiku, there were attempts to formalise Egbe’s systems and processes, leading to its first-ever constitution. Olanipekun’s influence also became even more pronounced.

It is therefore not surprising that a seemingly resurgent Egbe has attempted to stamp its authority on the 2026 election cycle by insisting that it must dictate who emerges as the next NBA President under the Western Zone. However, this resolve has not gone unchallenged. In fact, some analysts see the controversies surrounding the elections as fundamentally a tussle for control between two past NBA Presidents, Olanipekun and Mr. Augustine Alegeh SAN. Traditionally, however, past NBA presidents have been sought after by aspirants due to their enormous clout, influence and reach.

MIDWEST BAR AS THE LYNCHPIN

Relations between the Egbe and the Midwest Bar have not always been cordial, especially as it relates to sharing of NBA presidential slots between the two blocs. CITY LAWYER investigation shows that following the banding of the two Midwest states with the South West states – arising from an initiative by then NBA President Joseph Daudu SAN – the two blocs have consistently failed to hammer out an amicable ‘sharing formula’ for NBA Presidency. This came on the heels of the 1998 rotational arrangement arising from the rebirth of NBA after the 1992-1998 hiatus.

While the Midwest Bar had sought a 2:1 sharing formula, with the Egbe states taking two shots at the presidency while the Midwest takes one shot, it was reliably gathered that Egbe leaders insisted on a 3:1 slot, perhaps as a direct proportion of the 6:2 states ratio within the blocs. The South West was also said to have insisted that the micro-zoning would commence from the zone, though the Midwest argued that the two slots immediately preceding the zoning arrangement had gone to the South West. This did not go down well with the Midwest Bar, as they reasoned that it would take them about 18 years to produce the next NBA President. Following collapse of the talks, each bloc was left to its own devices. As a result, in 2014, Alegeh gazumped three core Egbe candidates, namely Mrs. Funke Adekoya SAN, Chief Niyi Akintola SAN and Deacon Dele Adesina SAN, to take the NBA Presidency. History will repeat itself in 2022 when Mr. Olumide Akpata again upstaged two Egbe candidates, namely Adesina and Dr. Babatunde Ajibade SAN, to win the NBA presidential election.

A POISONED OLIVE BRANCH

Following serious concerns that the Egbe has been dealt serious electoral blows by the Midwest bloc, talks over a sustainable sharing formula again emerged during this election cycle. Perhaps orchestrated by Midwest Bar Leaders such as former NBA President, Chief Onomigbo okpoko SAN, Chief Albert Akpomudje SAN and Alegeh, the Midwest Bar Forum (MWBF) formally conceded the 2026 NBA Presidency to the Egbe bloc. CITY LAWYER gathered that the leaders were able to persuade former NBA 1^st Vice President, Mr. John Aikpokpo-Martins and former NBA Third Vice President Mandy Asagba to rest their presidential ambitions till a later date. This explains why all the three presidential candidates are of the Egbe bloc. Some analysts argue that the Egbe leadership should have given lawyers more options of choosing from the three presidential candidates, given that all are Egbe members. They argue that Egbe’s insistence on a particular candidate may indicate that it has a ‘hidden agenda.’

But the Egbe leadership believes that the concession by the Midwest Bar is a poisoned chalice, given that it has allegedly been meddling in determining who ultimately emerges president from the Egbe bloc. In thinly veiled statements, Egbe has pointedly accused Alegeh of attempting to foist a “surrogate candidate” on the bloc, notwithstanding that it has resolved to throw its weight behind the presidential ambition of former NBA General Secretary, Mr. Olumuyiwa Akinboro SAN. Unimpeachable sources told CITY LAWYER that Alegeh is backing Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya SAN. CITY LAWYER investigation shows that this is at the heart of the crisis rocking the elections. Impeccable sources told CITY LAWYER that popular erstwhile NBA President, Mr. Olumide Akpata, has thrown his weight fully behind the candidacy of Mr. Yemi Akangbe SAN.

While some political watchers argue that the Alegeh’s political clout is overrated, almost everyone however agree that the ‘Alegeh Factor’ has been a recurring decimal in NBA Elections since he orchestrated the advent of universal suffrage through the 2015 NBA Constitution. . This is largely attributed to his zealous group of foot soldiers.

THE FIGHT BACK

To force its way through, there are indications that some Egbe leaders may have orchestrated a few strategems to force the hand of NBA into accepting its consensus candidate as the sole candidate for the presidential election. Following the levying of two lawsuits in high courts in Ibadan, Egbe’s bastion, the courts granted injunctions which tied the hand of the association in proceeding with the elections. The Court of Appeal last Tuesday upturned the injunctions. But a usually reliable source within the Egbe ranks told CITY LAWYER that the substantive suits had been withdrawn by the litigants at the behest of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN while the appellants also informed the appellate court that they were not keen to adopt their appellate briefs.

FEAR OF RETURN TO DELEGATES SYSTEM

The alleged plot by the Egbe bloc to return the association to a Delegates System of biennial elections has been a central theme in the run-up to the elections. It is claimed that Egbe sees this as the only way to regain the initiative in determining who emerges as NBA President. There are strong indications that the Egbe leaders felt that universal suffrage took the initiative out of their hands and handed it to a wider group of electorate in the leadership recruitment process. The alleged plot is a major concern for the Alegeh camp, not least because universal suffrage is seen as perhaps his fondest legacy.

This was an easy choice, as unimpeachable sources told CITY LAWYER that Akangbe has the backing of popular former NBA President, Mr. Olumide Akpata. While Alegeh and Akpata had been in one political family before now, the two leaders have lately pursued differing political ideologies.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S FROSTY INTERVENTION

Following the lawsuits filed by some combatants, Fagbemi reportedly urged the Court of Appeal to permit him to mediate between the parties. He then summoned all past NBA presidents as well as the litigants. The initiative led to a three-member “Peace Committee” comprising former NBA Presidents, namely Olanipekun, Chief Lanke Odogiyan and Mr. Paul Usoro SAN. Led by Olanipekun, the committee delivered a majority report whose key recommendations were adopted almost wholesale by Fagbemi. However, the “directions” issued by Fagbemi as a direct outcome of the peace effort was promptly rejected by NBA as an attempt to usurp the powers of NBA Trustees and the National Executive Council (NEC). The Court of Appeal drove the last nail into the coffin of the controversial directions when it held that held that, being a respondent in the appeal, the nation’s chief law officer lacked the poer to issue the directions.

CITY LAWYER investigation shows that the “directions” largely parroted the Egbe position on most of the issues. It was unclear whether this was merely coincidental, given that Olanipekun is a member of the Egbe Board of Trustees as well as the chairman of the “Peace Committee.”

Given the faceoff between Egbe and the NBA leadership, moreso as Egbe has repeatedly accused NBA President, Mr. Afam Osigwe SAN of bias in the run-up to the elections, it was perhaps predictable that NBA would not look kindly to the “directions.” Osigwe was the General Secretary while Alegeh held sway as NBA President.

What is more, a ranking Bar Leader told CITY LAWYER that perhaps the “directions” would have had a fighting chance of being accepted by the parties if the recommendations of the Olanipekun Committee were discussed and agreed upon by all parties prior to the issuance of the directions.

RIGGING: ‘THE UNSEEN FINGER’

Several stakeholders and former NBA presidential candidates had alleged that NBA elections are routinely rigged. Things came to a head when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) swooped on the association and arraigned two members for allegedly running the 2018 election. The case was ultimately struck out.

Instead of abating, the fear of rigging has notched a decibel higher in this election cycle, with Akinboro and Akangbe vigorously engaging the ECNBA in their reported quest for free, fair and credible election. The fears have only been fueled by the appointment of service providers who some analysts believe lack the technical competence to deliver an election of this magnitude.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HIJACK: MYTH OR REALITY?

One of the major fears that has enveloped the Bar is that the Federal Government is taking more than a cursory glance at the elections. Some analysts argue that this cannot be otherwise, especially in the run-up to the 2027 General Elections. They argue that having a ‘pliable’ NBA President serves the best interests of any government in power. In fact, some argue that the “directions” arising from the Peace Committee recommendations was a half-way house towards the alleged plot. Some however dismiss the allegation with a wave of the hand. They contend that if Akinboro is seen as a ‘government candidate,’ Badejo-Okusanya must be tarred with the same brush, given that her younger sister is a minister in the current administration.

POSTSCRIPT

There is no gainsaying that this year’s NBA Elections will go down in history as the most hotly contested in the annals of the association. As questions persist over whether there is a “hidden hand” allegedly truncating the will of Nigerian lawyers during elections, at least one ECNBA member has dismissed the claims. Responding to one of such allegations on “The Justice Forum” platform, former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof. Chidi Odinkalu wrote: “You are a heck of a lot smarter than this. You have been guaranteed that all your so-called pre-determined winners will be awake tomorrow morning, right? I worked on the ECNBA in 2022. It’s interesting what passes as fact in our association.” Will this assuage the Doubting Thomases? Only time will tell.

It is however hoped that the conversations that have gone ahead of this cycle of elections will add to the body of knowledge in refining NBA’s electoral processes.

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