President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Afam Osigwe, has dismissed claims that the association’s national officers’ election is being manipulated, describing allegations of planned rigging as politically motivated and unsupported by evidence.
Osigwe spoke on Friday during a press briefing held ahead of the commencement of voting, where he accused some lawyers and candidates of attempting to undermine the credibility of the electoral process before it had even begun.
According to him, allegations of rigging made before the start of the election amount to an attempt to discredit the process and influence public perception.
He argued that members of the legal profession should avoid making claims they cannot substantiate, noting that previous allegations of electoral malpractice in NBA elections had failed to stand up in court.
Osigwe said it was inappropriate for lawyers to make assertions without proof, stressing that courts had dismissed earlier election-related challenges because the allegations could not be established.
The NBA president maintained that the association remained committed to conducting a transparent, free and fair election, adding that those accusing the leadership of planning to rig the process were engaging in political tactics.
He urged members to focus on issues affecting the legal profession rather than what he described as unfounded accusations capable of damaging reputations.
Osigwe also rejected suggestions that he was backing any of the candidates contesting the association’s presidential election.
While acknowledging that he is entitled to vote, he disclosed that he had decided to abstain from the exercise in order to reassure members of his impartiality.
According to him, the electoral committee responsible for conducting the poll operates independently and is not subject to directives from the NBA leadership.
In a bid to strengthen confidence in the process, Osigwe said the association had invited several agencies and independent observers to scrutinise and monitor the election.
He disclosed that the Department of State Services (DSS), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), as well as foreign technical experts, had been invited to assess and monitor the voting system.
The NBA president said the decision reflected the association’s commitment to transparency and accountability.
He questioned why some critics continued to oppose independent scrutiny after alleging that the election could be manipulated.
Osigwe also revealed that the managing director of one of the service providers engaged for the election had been released after being detained by the DSS.
He expressed concern over the seizure of a laptop containing election-related information, suggesting that the arrest may have been linked to the electoral process.
According to him, measures have been taken to ensure that any access to the data would not compromise the integrity of the election.
On demands by some stakeholders for the use of National Identification Number (NIN) verification, Osigwe said the proposal could disenfranchise a significant number of lawyers, particularly women whose names on official legal records differ from those contained in the National Identity Management Commission database due to marriage.
He explained that such discrepancies could prevent eligible voters from participating in the election.
The NBA president, however, disclosed that the association had accepted requests from some candidates to discontinue the use of email-based one-time passwords for voter authentication and replace them with SMS verification.
Although the change would increase the cost of conducting the election, Osigwe said the NBA was prepared to bear the additional expense to strengthen confidence in the process.
He reiterated the association’s commitment to credible elections and urged members to engage constructively rather than spread allegations capable of undermining confidence in the outcome.