NBA election: Matters arising

THE 2020 biennial elections of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has been won and lost but the grumblings about the electoral heist which allegedly tainted the outcome of the ballot are becoming increasingly loud. The election threw up quite a few contentious issues regarding integrity, honesty and transparency, virtues that an association of such enlightened persons as lawyers should ordinarily be suffused with. There were strong allegations of electronic-fraud (e-fraud) in the elections which were conducted electronically. Members from a number of branches claimed that they were disenfranchised and could not vote because they did not see or receive the link through which they were expected to exercise their franchise. This allegation was confirmed, albeit inadvertently, by Augustine Alegeh, the NBA president under whose watch electronic voting was adopted and used for the 2016 elections, when he observed that 29,000 lawyers were eligible to vote in the 2020 elections but only 17,000 voted.

There were allegations of polls being allegedly manipulated and programmed using technology to favour certain candidates. There is also the questionable issue of elections zoned to the South-West repeatedly throwing up candidates from a particular segment of the zone, making micro-zoning within the zone imperative for the purpose of equity. There is indeed a litany of allegations of irregularity that have tended to cast a slur on the victories of those who were successful in the last elections, especially that of the president of the NBA.

It is noteworthy that the elections that ushered in the executives of the association in 2016 and 2018 were also reportedly fraught with allegations of malpractices and indiscretions reportedly orchestrated on purpose to achieve fraudulent ends. The 2016 election of the NBA president was still being contested in court when the winner served out his two-year tenure of office and handed the baton to his successor. Again, the determination of the winner of the 2018 election did not end up in the courtroom not for want of allegations of irregularities but because those who were allegedly cheated in the elections were wary of dragging the name of the association in the mud. Even at that, two staff members of the NBA Abuja are currently being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for rigging the NBA 2018 national elections.

Among other allegations, the two lawyers were accused of altering the e-mail addresses and phone numbers of 1004 eligible voters and casting votes for the outgoing president by impersonating them in a contest where what separated the winner and the runners-up was just 86 votes. Indeed, one of the contestants who lost in the 2018 elections said he “contested against corruption, massive vote buying, vote capture and a skewed process”. It is heartrending that this kind of sordid narrative is trailing the leadership recruitment process in one of the foremost professional bodies in the land that had played very prominent roles as a civil society organisation helping to champion the quest for good governance and optimal performance of governmental institutions.

Initially, some Nigerians were enthusiastic about the NBA’s deployment of technology to conduct its elections in the hope that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would draw one or two operational lessons from the success of such exercise.  The turn of events is disappointing because of the crucial roles lawyers play in the society, and more importantly within the context of resolution of pre- and post-election conflicts in the court of law. The association was expected to point in the direction of decorum and fidelity in the electoral process to the society.

The NBA used to be a strong voice and a vibrant association that did not only advance the interest of lawyers alone but was also in the forefront of advocacy for the common good of the masses.  Not a few Nigerians are nostalgic about the eras of Kanmi Ishola-Oshobu, Alao Aka-Basorun, Olisa Agabakoba and Oluwarotimi Akeredolu as NBA presidents. Those were epochs when the association was very vibrant and influential, so much so that whenever it sneezed, everyone caught cold, especially aberrant leaders of government and governmental institutions. Unfortunately, the association’s views on national issues are being gradually discounted in terms of the seriousness attached to them by critical stakeholders because some of its members are increasingly being seen as part of the problem rather than a panacea to societal challenges.

With the perennial allegations of rigged elections in its fold and the embarrassing cases of sleaze against leading lawyers, including members of the inner bar, it would amount to playing the ostrich to pretend not to know the sources of the drowning voice and waning influence of the NBA in the country.  It is very clear that the association has lost steam and risks a slide into irrelevance if it does not get its act together presently.

YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

FACT CHECK: Did Zulum Celebrate Salah With Borno’s ‘Poorest’?
A viral message, which emanated from Whatsapp and was later posted on the Facebook page of a national newspaper, claimed that Borno State governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, celebrated Sallah with the poor citizens in the state…

Why The Colour Of #RevolutionNow Was Not Arab Spring-Red
THEY all happened almost simultaneously, as if in a choreography. On February 9, 2011, a huge crowd of protesters had gathered at the Tahir Square in Cairo, Egypt. Unruly, eyes dilating like pellets of ice immersed in mug-full Campari liquor, it was obvious that this was a crowd determined to change the status quo. They shouted anti-government slogans, calling for an end to oppression, economic adversities and collapse of the Arabian spirit in the Arab world…

The Marlian Gang: Lifestyles Of Youths Who Claim To Be Lawless, Lack Manners And Home Training
MUSIC and musicians through the ages have demonstrated the tendency to influence not only the present generation, but also the future generation. No wonder, decades after they might have gone, generations later are still inspired by them…

We Are Worried, Disappointed Over Edo Politics — US
THE United States on Friday said it was concerned with reports of the deteriorating political climate in Edo State. The US Mission in Nigeria, in a statement on its social media platforms, also said that it was disappointed with the role of some political actors in the state. The statement reads: “As long-time friends of Nigeria, we continue to follow political developments ahead of off-cycle elections in the country. The United States supports a democratic process where the will of the Nigerian people is reflected in the results, and does not favour any party or candidate…

Ize-Iyamu’s Corruption Case: PDP Guilty With Govs Fintiri, Mohammed Nominations ― Presidency
The Presidency has pushed back on the assertion by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that President Muhammadu Buhari’s endorsement of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu who is facing corruption charges as the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate in the Edo State governorship election encourages corruption…