A judge of the FCT High Court has held that Mr. Tobenna Erojikwe, a presidential candidate in the 2024 Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Elections, “is justifiably an interested party, having contested an election conducted by the ECNBA on behalf of the 1st Defendant.”

This view is contained in the judgment of the court delivered by Justice C. O. Agashieze in the case brought by the senior lawyer requesting information regarding the highly contentious presidential election.

The court held as follows: “From what I can see, the responsibility is not tied to whether there was any irregularity in an election or not. It is a responsibility that the ECNBA owes to ‘interested parties’ which definitely includes a member of the association who took part in an election conducted by the association.

“From the affidavit evidence in support of the Originating Summons, it is very obvious that the Claimant herein is justifiably an interested party, having contested an election conducted by the ECNBA on behalf of the 1st Defendant. He is a person to whom information, documents and databases used in the an election should be provided for, if he so demands it.

“However, like every other constitution, the constitutional provisions of the 1st Defendant is not to be read in isolation. It has to be read and interpreted within the context of the entire Constitution”.

Mr. Afam Osigwe SAN was declared winner of the election by the Electoral Committee of the NBA (ECNBA).

Dissatisfied by the outcome, Erojikwe approached the court seeking databases upon which the election was contested.

In an earlier statement made available to CITY LAWYER, Erojikwe stated that “In view of the foregoing, my lawyers have applied for a certified copy of the Judgment and I will make further comments after reviewing the Judgment with my lawyers. I also intend to test the important constitutional questions raised in this suit by way of an Appeal to the Court of Appeal. It is not just about the NBA 2024 Elections; it is really about transparency in all future NBA Elections and how we conduct our affairs generally as lawyers in Nigeria.”

To read the full text of the judgment, click here.