The President of the Nigerian Bar Association has dismissed allegations that the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association published a “fraudulent and padded” voters’ register ahead of the 2026 NBA national election, describing the claim as unfounded, legally misconceived and based on a misunderstanding of the electoral process.
This was in response to a statement by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, JCI Senator Mutalubi Ojo Adebayo, SAN, who had accused the ECNBA of circulating a voters’ register that allegedly created room for manipulation and proxy voting in the election scheduled for Saturday, July 18, 2026.
Adebayo had argued that the list published by the ECNBA was merely a list of lawyers who paid their Bar Practising Fees on or before March 31, 2026, and not a list of accredited voters. He also claimed that the names of lawyers who did not verify their details, including himself, and possibly deceased members, could be used for proxy voting.
However, the NBA President said the published list was only the Preliminary Voters Register and was prepared strictly in line with the NBA Constitution 2015, as amended in 2025.
According to him, the register properly consists of legal practitioners who paid their Annual Practising Fees on or before March 31, 2026, which he said remains the constitutional threshold for eligibility to vote in NBA elections.
He said the fact that Adebayo’s name appeared on the list because he paid his practising fee before the deadline showed that the register was functioning exactly as required by the Constitution.
On the argument that the list was only a list of Bar Practising Fee payers and not accredited voters, the NBA President said such a distinction had no basis in the NBA Constitution.
He explained that eligibility to vote is determined by the Constitution of the NBA and not by a member’s response to an administrative verification notice issued by the ECNBA.
According to him, the verification exercise is only meant to allow members correct their contact details before the register is frozen, and not an opt-in process for inclusion in the electoral roll.
He warned that treating the verification exercise as a condition for voting would amount to unconstitutional disenfranchisement of eligible members who, for one reason or another, did not respond to the committee’s correspondence.
Addressing the allegation of possible proxy voting, the NBA President said such a claim was “technically impossible.”
He explained that every vote on the election platform requires the voter’s Supreme Court Number and a One-Time Password delivered in real time to the voter’s registered phone number or email address at the point of voting.
He said the OTP is single-use and time-limited, making it impossible for anyone to vote on behalf of another person without live access to that person’s phone or email inbox at the exact moment of voting.
He further stated that the published preliminary register contains only names and branches, and does not contain email addresses, phone numbers or Supreme Court Numbers.
According to him, there is nothing on the published list that can enable proxy voting of any kind.
Responding to the concern that names of deceased lawyers may still appear on the register, the NBA President said the presence of such names does not automatically create room for vote fraud.
He said without a live OTP delivered to a live communication channel, a name on the register cannot translate into a vote.
He also faulted what he described as the broader narrative that the election process had already been compromised, saying Adebayo had publicly admitted that he chose not to engage with the ECNBA’s processes because he had already concluded that the election would not be credible.
According to him, such a position is a predetermined conclusion and not evidence of fraud.
He maintained that every stage of the electoral process, including timetables, notices, service provider appointments, sensitisation sessions and publication of the preliminary voters’ register, has been placed on public record and carried out in accordance with the NBA Constitution.
The NBA President also disclosed that the Final Voters Register will be published on Friday, July 10, 2026, after the close of the verification and correction window.
He reaffirmed that the NBA national election will hold on Saturday, July 18, 2026.
He described the allegations being circulated against the ECNBA as misinformation, saying members of the Bar deserved accurate information rather than claims presented in alarming language.
“The narrative being circulated is unfounded, technically illiterate on the key fraud allegations, and legally misconceived on the eligibility question. Members of the Bar deserve better than misinformation dressed in urgent language,” he said.
