President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe, has dismissed allegations that he was attempting to rig or interfere in the association’s national officers’ election, insisting that the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association operated independently and took no instructions from him.
Speaking to newsmen Osigwe said the allegations that he preferred a candidate were politically motivated and unsupported by any evidence.
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His remarks came against the backdrop of weeks of controversy over the July 18 NBA election, during which Egbe Amofin Oodua, A forum of Yoruba lawyers, called for the postponement of the forthcoming Bar Association (NBA) presidential election, citing concerns over the transparency and credibility of the electoral process.
The group said delaying the election would allow the implementation of agreed electoral reforms capable of guaranteeing a free, fair and credible poll.
The Chairman of the Governing Council of Egbe Amofin Oodua, Isiaka Olagunju (SAN), accused the leadership of the NBA of reneging on agreements earlier reached with stakeholders on reforms aimed at improving the integrity of the election.
He also accused the NBA leadership of allegedly failing to maintain neutrality in the electoral process, alleging that some aspirants were being given preferential treatment.
Olagunju warned that conducting the election without implementing the agreed reforms could further erode confidence in the NBA’s electoral system.
