Former General Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mazi Afam Osigwe, won a landslide in its election held at the weekend. He beat his opponents for president – Chukwuka Ikwuazom and Tobenna Erojikwe – by a wide margin. Both have rejected the results as congratulations pour in for the winner. Deputy News Editor JOSEPH JIBUEZE highlights the tasks before Osigwe, who will be sworn in at the Annual General Conference in Lagos next month.
Before the election was held on Saturday, the projections had favoured Mazi Afam Osigwe as the candidate to beat for the position of president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
It was not surprising to many observers when he took the ascendancy in the polling as results of the virtual election, updated per minute on the viewing portal, streamed in.
He stayed ahead from the exercise beginning at midnight on Saturday till voting ended at 11.59 pm.
Electoral Committee of the NBA (ECNBA) Chairman, Oluseun Abimbola (SAN), declared the Osigwe the winner, having secured 50.52 per cent of the votes cast.
He scored 20,435, garnering 9,437 more votes than the Chairman of the NBA-Institute of Continuing Legal Education Governing Council, Tobenna Erojikwe, who scored 10,998 votes (27.19 per cent).
Former NBA Lagos Branch Chairman, Chukwuka Ikwuazom (SAN), came third, with 9,018 votes (22.29 per cent).
Announcing the results at NBA House in Abuja on Sunday, Abimbola said 40,451 votes were tallied, while there were 205 abstentions.
Sabastine Anyia was elected first vice president with 12,114 votes (33.14 per cent); Mrs Bolatumi Animashaun was elected second vice president with 26,534 votes (70.47 per cent); Mrs Zainab Garba scored 23,550 votes (62.89 per cent) to emerge third vice president.
Dr Mobolaji Ojibara was elected General Secretary with 25,713 votes (68.67). He defeated Abdulwasiu Alfa, who polled 11,730 votes.
Publisher of barristerng.com, Mrs Bridget Edokwe, was elected National Publicity Secretary with 19,542 votes (51.16 per cent).
Other winners are Mrs. Blessing Imo Udofa-Poromon, Treasurer; Mr. Nyada Auta, Welfare Secretary, and Miss. Ebiere Ekpese, Assistant Publicity Secretary.
Osigwe promises inclusive administration
In his acceptance speech, Osigwe said he was enormously grateful for the privilege and honour to be entrusted with the responsibility of piloting the NBA’s affairs from next month.
The incoming president added: “The outcome of the NBA 2024 NBA National Officers Election is a testament to our collective commitment to advancing the cause of justice, upholding the rule of law, and fostering a vibrant and inclusive legal community.
“The election reflects our unwavering desire to engender a Bar that does not wait for problems or crises to arise or exacerbate before taking action. We are therefore all winners.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to my colleagues and friends, Chukwuma Ikwuazom SAN and Tobenna Erijiokwe, for their dedication to our profession and democratic process.
“Our shared commitment to the NBA and our profession fostered robust discussions throughout the campaign.
“Your passion and dedication to the legal profession ensured that our contest remained focused on substantive issues.
“I am committed to leading a proactive Bar that diligently identifies and addresses potential challenges.
“Under my stewardship, our Bar will uphold vigilance, responsiveness, responsibility, constructive engagement, and forward-thinking.
“We will actively tackle issues that hinder the administration of justice and respond to emerging trends that impact legal practice.
“I am grateful to my campaign team, advisers, volunteers, and supporters who dedicated themselves tirelessly to share our message with fellow members.
“Your unwavering support, sacrifice, and belief in our mission were instrumental in achieving this electoral success.
“As we move forward, I pledge to serve with integrity, transparency, and unwavering dedication.
“We face many challenges, but I am confident that together, we can overcome them and usher in a new era of progress for our association.
“My administration will be inclusive, ensuring that every voice is heard and every concern is addressed.
“We will work tirelessly to enhance the welfare of our members, uphold the dignity of our profession, and contribute meaningfully to the advancement of our society.”
Tinubu, Maikyau send greetings
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu congratulated Osigwe on his election.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, President Tinubu also commended Maikyau on his leadership of the association and congratulated all newly elected officers and members on a successful election.
“The President congratulates all newly elected officers of the NBA and members of the association on a successful conduct of the elections.
“The President assures the new leadership of the NBA of his administration’s support in addressing challenges affecting the association and the legal profession in general,” the statement said.
Outgoing NBA president, Yakubu Maikyau (SAN), congratulated the winners and the candidates, as well as NBA representatives at the General Council of the Bar on their victory.
He described their triumph as a “call to service,” saying of those who lost: “Their desire to serve in various positions is clear demonstration of their commitment to make sacrifices and continue to promote primary objectives of the Bar for the good of our members and the generality of the people.
“I am confident that, while they may not have succeeded in getting elected into the offices they contested for, their commitment to be Bar will remain undiluted, and will lend support to those who emerged winners in the quest to build a dynamic Bar.”
The NBA President commended Abimbola for the integrity, transparency, efficiency, responsiveness and effectiveness, with which the committee carried out its constitutional mandate..
This, Maikayau said, led to “a free, fair and credible election through a process that was seamless and hitch-free”.
“This election shall serve as a model not only for subsequent NBA elections, but a template that could be considered for the nation at large,” Maikyau added.
Ikwuazom, Erojikwe kick Midway through the election, Ikwuazom withdrew.
He said despite “overwhelming support,” it appeared that the system was manipulated towards a predetermined outcome, consistently placing him in third.
“As a candidate committed to upholding transparency and the rule of law, I cannot in good conscience continue to participate in a compromised electoral process,” he said.
Ikwuazom subsequently asked the ECNBA to grant him access to the server and related information within 48 hours.
In a July 21 letter to Abimbola, he alleged the process was marred by irregularities and demanded about 18 documents relating to the elections.
Ikwuazom alleged identity theft, discrepancies in vote patterns, suspicious vote increase patterns and discrepancies in vote display and update.
On identity theft of voters and potential double-voting, he said: “Multiple voters reported being unable to cast their ballots as the system indicated they had already voted when they had not.
“Upon complaining, some of these supporters subsequently received another link to cast their votes.
“This situation demonstrates clear instances of either double-voting or possible data manipulation.
“These occurrences raise serious concerns about the voter database’s integrity, the security of the voting process, and the potential for unauthorised manipulation of voting records.
“Discrepancies in vote display and update: During the election, it was observed that the vote viewing portal (https://go.ecnba.org/results/) merely displayed Portable Network Graphics (PNG) images that were uploaded at intervals rather than a page directly and automatically accessing data from a primary database/election platform (electionbuddy.com).
“Furthermore, despite the page being programmed to refresh every minute, it often required two or more refreshes for voter data to update.
“This significant lag between the display portal and the originating system raises concerns about the real-time accuracy of the displayed results and the potential for data manipulation between systems.
“Suspicious vote increase pattern: Throughout the entirety of the election, the number of votes attributed to the winning candidate exhibited a steady increase in an almost exact geometric progression at the top of each hour.
“This pattern is strongly indicative of a pre-programmed vote allocation, rather than a natural accumulation of votes.
“This observation raises serious concerns about the authenticity of the vote-counting process and the overall integrity of the election results.
“Discrepancies in vote patterns: The reported voting figures show significant inconsistencies with the actual votes cast by my supporters.
“The voting patterns suggest a potential manipulation of the system to favour a predetermined outcome.
“These issues undermine the election’s credibility and necessitate a thorough examination of the electoral process and systems.
“Pursuant to paragraph 8(C), Part II of the Second Schedule of the NBA Constitution 2015 (as amended), I hereby formally request access to all critical information, documents, and databases used in the recently concluded NBA Presidential Elections, including the back end of the election portal.”
Ikwuazom requested full access to server and application log files used during the election period; access to the election systems architecture documentation; complete database records, including voter information and voting transactions; network traffic logs from the election period, all incident response documentation or reports from the election cycle; details of security measures and protocols implemented for the election, among others.
Erojikwe demands audit
Erojikwe said he had “a reasonable and well-informed basis to believe that the electoral process and the election were not credible or satisfactory.”
Among the issues he raised are: “Pre-election concerns: It is on record that in the process leading up to the elections, I wrote to the ECNBA on at least three occasions to express my concerns and highlight certain breaches and irregularities surrounding the election.
“It was not until four hours before the commencement of polls that the ECNBA published the full list of eligible voters in defiance of the provisions of Paragraph 9 of Part V of the Second Schedule to the NBA Constitution, which provides in mandatory terms that the ECNBA shall publish the full list of voters at least 45 (forty-five) clear days before the date of the election.”
On suspicious vote tallying, Erojikwe said: “The rare phenomenon where the number of votes ascribed to the winning candidate steadily increased in an almost exact geometric progression at the top of each hour for nearly the entirety of the election in a manner which, our cyber analysts professionally believe, is demonstrative of a pre-programming of votes.”
Regarding discrepancies in vote counts, the candidate said: “At different times, the sum of the votes cast for the candidates was either in excess of, or less than, the total votes tallied at the relevant time.
“For a process where the tallying is automatic, such a statistical discrepancy is inexplicable.
“While the actual voting took place on the platform provided by Election Buddy, i.e., electionbuddy.com, the live election results were exhibited on a completely different and unrelated platform, go.ecnba.org.
“Technical experts engaged by me find this rather curious and strange, and it questions the integrity of the results.
“Many of our supporters reported that they woke up to emails acknowledging that their votes had been submitted even before they had the opportunity to cast their votes.
“Upon complaining, some of these supporters subsequently received another link to cast their votes.
“Despite the fact that the election was widely advertised to commence by 12:00 a.m. and end by 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, July 20, 2024, voting continued into the early hours of Sunday, July 21, 2024, and the numbers of votes continued to increase.
“I am, at this time, unable to accept the election result announced by the ECNBA. Instead, I am immediately calling, in the first instance, for an official audit of the election result in accordance with the provisions of Paragraph 8(c), Part 2, Second Schedule of the NBA Constitution.
“This step has become necessary in order to ensure that we instill full faith and confidence in our electoral process within the NBA.”
Our system was foolproof, says ECNBA
ECNBA chairman Abimbola said there was no compromise.
“In executing our mandate, we made tough decisions pursuant to our constitution.
“We adopted measures and preemptive steps to insulate the electoral process and system from undue interruptions and interference, whether by default or design.
“Our final report will capture these to guide our future electoral process.”
Pre-election projections
In a pre-election analysis published by this newspaper on April 16 entitled “NBA election: who succeeds Maikyau?”, our reporter projected Osigwe as the man to beat.
The projection was based on the fact that the eventual winner is highly experienced in Bar leadership at branch and national levels, having served as chairman of the Abuja Branch (Unity Bar).
A SAN yet youthful, it was thought that he may be seen as a bridge between the young and older lawyers.
He was a strong contender the last time the office was zoned to the Southeast but was disqualified on the eve of the election.
This time, a SAN who wanted to run for president was believed to have stepped down for him. He is popular among lawyers across divides and enjoyed popular support among many voting blocs.
The fear was that young lawyers who constitute the largest voting population may see him as a member of the old order and may push for a clean break, but this was not the case.
For Erojikwe, who was born in Luton, England and studied law at the University of Nigeria, he was generally perceived as efficient, having done well in his role as chairman of the CLE Institute.
This earned him goodwill and increased popularity among lawyers, especially his restoration of the percentage award system.
He is also young, so it was thought he may enjoy the support of young lawyers who make up a significant voting population.
His major weakness was that beyond his current office, Erojikwe seemed to have limited experience as a Bar leader, having never contested and won any significant NBA election.
Ikwuazom, a SAN who heads the Taxation practice at ALN Aluko & Oyebode, and holds an LL.M. from Columbia University School of Law, New York after obtaining an LL.B. from the University of Nigeria, Enugu, was considered a major contender.
As one of the youngest aspirants, it was thought that he could enjoy the backing of the young lawyers.
He led the NBA Lagos Branch, one of the most populous voting blocs, and it as thought he may leverage its voting strength. He is a partner in a top law firm, which could boost his connections.
However, outside his NBA Lagos Branch chairmanship, it was not certain whether he enjoyed popularity at the national bar having not held any other significant office outside Lagos Bar.
Erojikwe and Ikwuazom may have also divided Lagos votes where both are based, to the advantage of the Abuja-based Osigwe.
Tasks before Osigwe
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Wahab Shittu, urged Osigwe, who he described as “truly a bar man,” to unite the bar.
“Secondly he should raise and project the bar in all ramifications.
“I expect him to work and collaborate with his co-contestants, who are equally star-studded and sterling.
“He should prioritise the welfare of the bar and fight for a truly independent judiciary that strives for the enthronement of justice.
“Under his leadership, I expect increased professionalism, adherence to standards, discipline and ethics.
“The Nigerian lawyer should take its rightful place in the scheme of things while the common should have access to justice – an indispensable tool for nation-building and National development.
“More importantly, he should work to strengthen democracy and democratic institutions.”
For Jibrin Okutepa (SAN), the elections were “free and fair and did not suffer the kind of hitches and glitches we suffered in 2020 when some lawyers had difficulties casting their votes for candidates of their choice”.
On his expectations, he said: “Let me say straight away to Mazi Afam Josiah Osigwe SAN that the time has come for the bar to return to its core values: objectivity and pursuit of noble goals for the good of all Nigerians; placing the overall interests of the legal profession and its members over and above all other considerations.
“The bar must bark and bite. The bar must sing praises where it needs to and come hard on all those who pollute the stream of justice when the need arises. The bar must show light in the darkness.”
Lead Partner at Ubiijus DLaw, Blessing Agbomhere, described Osigwe’s election as a victory not just for himself but for the practice of law in Nigeria.
He is hopeful that Osigwe’s tenure will usher in an era of progress, innovations and transparency in the operations of the NBA.
Agbomhere described Osigwe as a “hard worker, astute lawyer and stickler to professionalism, who would go any length to ensure that the esteemed Association of learned minds does not derail in its statutory mandate, one of which is to ensure that the practice of law in Nigeria maintains a reputable standard and the promotion and protection of the principles of the rule of law and respect for fundamental human rights.”
He urged all “learned silks to give him all the support he needs to take the Association to greater heights.”
Wishing Osigwe well in the course of his tenure, Agbomhere prayed God to give him the knowledge and wisdom to better steer the affairs of the NBA in the years ahead.
• Additional reporting by Adebisi Onanuga, Elizabeth Eze, Lagos; Bolaji Ogundele and Frank Ikpefan, Abuja.
