A presidential candidate in the just-concluded Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Elections, Mr. Chukwuka Ikwuazom SAN has asked the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) to grant him access to the election server and related information within 48 hours.

In a letter dated 21st July, 2024 and addressed to the ECNBA Chairman, Mr. Oluseun Abimbola SAN, Ikwuazom identified four areas where the election was allegedly marred by irregularities and demanded about 18 documents relating to the elections.

CITY LAWYER recalls that Ikwuazom had sensationally withdrawn from the election midstream, citing irregularities.

However, Abimbola had while declaring the election results yesterday stated that though there were online reports about the withdrawal, Ikwuazom did not formally communicate his withdrawal to the committee.

Mr. Afam Osigwe SAN was declared winner of the presidential election. Another presidential candidate, Mr. Tobenna Erojikwe had in a statement made available to CITY LAWYER also rejected the results of the election and called for an audit.

Below is the full text of the letter made available to CITY LAWYER.

21 July 2024

The Chairman, Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA), ECNBA Secretariat NBA House, 9 Oro Ago Street Garki, Abuja.

Dear Sir,

Request for Access to Critical Information Regarding the 2024 NBA National Elections
I am writing to formally request access to critical information and documents related to the recent Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) national elections. This request is prompted by several concerning anomalies and irregularities observed during the electoral process.

Observed Anomalies
My team and I noted the following issues, among others, that warrant attention:

1. Identity Theft of Voters and Potential Double-Voting: Multiple voters reported being unable to cast their ballots as the system indicated they had already voted when they had not. Upon complaining, some of these supporters subsequently received another link to cast their votes. This situation demonstrates clear instances of either double-voting or possible data manipulation. These occurrences raise serious concerns about the voter database’s integrity, the security of the voting process, and the potential for unauthorized manipulation of voting records.
   2. Discrepancies in Vote Display and Update: During the election, it was observed that the vote viewing portal (https://go.ecnba.org/results/) merely displayed Portable Network Graphics (PNG) images that were uploaded at intervals rather than a page directly and automatically accessing data from a primary database/election platform (electionbuddy.com). Furthermore, despite the page being programmed to refresh every minute, it often required two or more refreshes for voter data to update. This significant lag between the display portal and the originating system raises concerns about the real-time accuracy of the displayed results and the potential for data manipulation between systems.
   3. Suspicious Vote Increase Pattern: Throughout the entirety of the election, the number of votes attributed to the winning candidate exhibited a steady increase in an almost exact geometric progression at the top of each hour. This pattern is strongly indicative of a pre-programmed vote allocation, rather than a natural accumulation of votes. This observation raises serious concerns about the authenticity of the vote-counting process and the overall integrity of the election results.
   4. Discrepancies in Vote Patterns: The reported voting figures show significant inconsistencies with the actual votes cast by my supporters. The voting patterns suggest a potential manipulation of the system to favour a predetermined outcome.
   These issues undermine the election’s credibility and necessitate a thorough examination of the electoral process and systems.

Formal Request for Information
Pursuant to paragraph 8(C), Part II of the Second Schedule of the NBA Constitution 2015 (as amended), I hereby formally request access to all critical information, documents, and databases used in the recently concluded NBA Presidential Elections, including the back end of the election portal. Specifically, I request the following:

1. Full access to server and application log files used during the election period.
2.
Access to the election systems architecture documentation.
3.
Complete database records, including voter information and voting transactions.
4.
Network traffic logs from the election period.
5.
All incident response documentation or reports from the election cycle.
6.
Details of security measures and protocols implemented for the election.
7.
Detailed logs of all voter authentication attempts, successful and unsuccessful, to investigate the reported identity theft issues.
8.
A complete record of voting timestamps for all cast ballots to analyze voting patterns and potential anomalies.
9.
Documentation of any changes or updates made to the voting system before, during, or immediately after the election period.
10.
Records of all individuals who had administrative access to the voting system during the election period.
11.
Copies of all data backups taken before, during, and after the election process.
12.
All documentation of APIs and their usage logs.
13.
Detailed logs of any system errors, including timeouts and database update freezes.
14.
All formal records of voter complaints or reported issues during the election.
15.
Data on system performance throughout the election period, including server response times and load statistics.
16.
Detailed logs of all PNG image uploads to the go.ecnba.org/results/ portal, including timestamps, file sizes, and the account or process responsible for these uploads.
17.
Documentation on the process and protocols used to transfer data from the primary election platform (electionbuddy.com) to the display portal (go.ecnba.org).
18.
All third-party service logs and reports from these services.
I trust that the ECNBA will treat this matter with the utmost urgency and seriousness it deserves. Given the critical nature of this request and its importance to the integrity of the NBA electoral process, I respectfully ask that all requested information be provided within 48 hours of receipt of this letter. Your prompt action in providing access to the requested information is crucial for maintaining transparency and integrity in NBA’s electoral processes.

Thank you for your immediate attention to this critical matter.