• ‘WE WILL DELIVER TRANSPARENT, CREDIBLE POLL’ – ELECO CHAIR

Members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) will tomorrow head to the poll to elect a new Executive Committee as the curtains are drawn on the Bisi Makanjuola-led committee.

Though there were indications that apathy may have gripped the election as no less than six of the 10 available positions are unopposed, concerns over some aspects of the election seem to have revved up the tempo.

At the heart of the controversies are allegations that some aspects touching on compilation of the voters list are opaque, even as there are charges on padding of the list. Some stakeholders also allege that the Electoral Committee may have dug itself into some procedural missteps vis-à-vis compilation of the voters register, a charge dismissed by the respected Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Mr. Kelechi Obi SAN as “wild” and unverifiable.

For the branch which is touted to have a membership strength of about 15,000 members, only a marginal 1135 members may have made the final list of voters. However, as the ballot is set to open early tomorrow morning, the contest for who becomes the next Chairman of the branch is by far the fiercest. The race pits ‘Nonso Azih against two female candidates, namely Uche Ogunedo Akingbade and Abiye Tobiah Tam-George.

CITY LAWYER gathered that some members had petitioned the Electoral Committee alleging undue exclusion from the voters register. They alleged that though they met the statutory requirements of payment of branch dues and attendance of at least five branch meetings within 12 months, they were arbitrarily excluded from the register.

There are also allegations that some persons outside the Electoral Committee were reaching out to some branch members and assuring them that they could be added to the voters list. There are strong indications that the alleged padding of the voters list may be a design to sway the poll in favour of their preferred candidate or candidates.

An impeccable source told CITY LAWYER that even a Senior Advocate of Nigeria was allegedly contacted regarding the padding arrangement.

Some stakeholders argue that the Electoral Committee did not properly sequence the electoral calendar given that the initial voters list was published ‘too early’ and ahead of at least two qualifying monthly meetings, even as a chairmanship candidate risked being shut of the Election Situation Room as CITY LAWYER gathered that the candidates were given less than three hours to submit names of their Election Representatives.

At least one chairmanship candidate has petitioned the committee in relation to alleged exclusion of qualified voters. In a complaint obtained by CITY LAWYER, Azih wrote: “As a candidate for the office of Chairman, NBA Lagos Branch in the elections scheduled to hold on Monday 30th June, 2025, I have received a couple of complaints from some of my supporters and other bona fide members of the branch whose names were omitted in the final list of eligible voters, even though they have evidence of having attended five monthly meetings in the last 12 months as provided by The Nigerian Bar Association Uniform Bye-Laws for Branches (“The Bye-Laws”).”

Continuing, he noted that “One of the complainants, Ms. Uzoamaka Emerole – a Partner at Dentons ACAS-Law wrote the Electoral Committee to complain that her name was omitted in the final list. She provided evidence of attendance of 5 meetings. A response from the Electoral Committee confirmed that Ms Emerole had indeed attended 5 meetings, but went further to say that her name was omitted because she did not pay her Branch Dues on or before 31st March, 2025.

“Ms Emerole responded and provided credible evidence showing that her Branch Dues were duly paid on February 5th 2025 – 54 days before the deadline, but up till now, no response has been received in this regard.”

Azih, a former staff of Dentons ACAS-Law, requested the Electoral Committee to clarify the fate of Ms Emerole and other eligible members of the branch whose names do not appear on the voters list, moreso as Section 15(2) of The Bye-Laws mandates that a member’s name shall appear in the final list of eligible voters to be published not later than 14 days before the date of the election.

Raising some posers, he wrote: “Would there be an updated list? Or would the voting link be sent to these people even when their names are not on the final list of eligible voters as required by The Bye-Laws.”

Stating his fears in unmistakable terms, Azih wrote: “I am deeply concerned over the likelihood of disenfranchising eligible voters and the possibility of having people whose names are not on the list cast their votes on election day ex recordum.

“It is expected that the names of all those expected to vote on Monday 30th of June 2025 are reflected on the final list in compliance with The Bye-Laws, for good order and transparency.”

A respected Bar Leader told CITY LAWYER yesterday that he “heard it from three sources” including a Senior Advocate of Nigeria that some branch members were being prospected for addition to the voters list, warning that the consequences of padding the list “will be dire.”

Emphasizing that he heard the allegation of padding of the voters list “from very authoritative persons,” he again warned that “This cannot happen,” adding that “Lagos Branch has always boasted that it has a history of zero tolerance for embezzlement and election rigging.”

When contacted today for an update on the allegation today, the Bar Leader seemed to have recanted, saying that there does not seem to be much evidence to back up the allegation of padding.

Responding, Obi dismissed the allegations as “wild,” adding that there is no truth in them.

He told CITY LAWYER that all complaints of disenfranchisement have been satisfactorily dealt with, adding that most of the petitions were baseless. He assured that no eligible branch member has been left out of the voters list.

On the alleged non-publication of the June Monthly Meeting list, he said that it is not the practice for the Electoral Committee to publish such list during elections, adding however that the committee is not a repository of such lists but only works with lists provided by the branch.

Speaking on the alleged short notice given to candidates to send in the names of their election monitors, Obi noted that candidates ought to have known that such requests would emanate from the committee and got their lists ready. He however assured that no candidate’s representatives would be shut out, adding that this is aimed to ensure the transparency of the electoral process.

On the allegation of padding, Obi said that nothing could be farther from the truth. He told CITY LAWYER that the voters list has already been sent to the service provider, adding that “people can claim what they cannot do.”

Giving further assurances on the integrity of the elections, the electoral umpire stated that the entire election will be projected to stakeholders from the Situation Room. “We are not even in-charge of the server,” he said. “In fact, at the time of the election, the service provider is asleep due to time difference. It is perhaps towards the end of the process that he simply rolls out the result. People should stop sensationalizing things and heating up the system. Our only interest is to deliver a free and credible election.”

CITY LAWYER investigation shows that the campaigns have been fiery, especially as between the three gladiators gunning for the chairmanship position. Their supporters have almost literally set the social media on fire as they battle to gain the upper hand against their opponents.

Though the race was initially a straight fight between Azih and Akingbade, the entry of Tam-George upended all permutations. While CITY LAWYER investigation strongly indicates that the race is still essentially between Azih and Akingbade, a win by Tam-George will clearly be a major upset. Some analysts however believe that she has covered a lot of ground since her late entry into the race.

It remains to be seen how ‘incumbency factor’ will play out during the elections, especially as there are strong indications that Akingbade, currently a Co-Opted member in the Executive Committee, is being backed by the top echelon of the branch leadership. While the weight of such support may turn on how members perceive the branch leadership vis-à-vis whether or not it has delivered on its Manifesto, CITY LAWYER recalls that the emergence of the incumbent chairman was deemed by pundits as a huge upset, given that he ran against a candidate fully backed by the then branch leadership. Will history repeat itself? Only time will tell.

Aside from the chairmanship race which promises to be very fierce, the post of Secretary has gone to Kelechukwu Uzoka even before opening of the ballot. This is also true of the positions of Vice Chairman (James Olaseni Sonde), Rita Nwokocha (Social Secretary), Ngozi Victor (Assistant Secretary), Bennita Olejeme (Welfare), and Igwebuike Michael Ikechukwu (Provost). There is no candidate for the position of Financial Secretary, as CITY LAWYER gathered that the three aspirants that pitched for the position were disqualified by the Electoral Committee.

However, Oliver Omoredia was square up with returnee candidate, Bayo Olusanya for the post of Publicity Secretary while Jacob Dipo Famodimu and Ogechi Olisa-Mokelu will do battle for the post of Treasurer.

Writing on the Electoral Committee Chairman, prolific writer and lawyer, Mr. Olanrewaju Onigegewura Akinsola observed: “Outside of law, Kelechi is a gentleman and a fine fellow. He is always committed to the causes of his friends and colleagues. He is someone you can count on when it matters most.”

Peopled by some of the most credible members of the branch including Mr. Andrew Malgwi SAN and Mrs. Sola Adegbonmire, the Electoral Committee has sent test emails and short messaging service (SMS) to eligible voters in preparation for the opening of the ballot at 5 am tomorrow. The poll, which is by electronic voting, will end by 6 pm when a new chairman and other Executive Committee members will emerge.

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