2018 NBA Elections Voters List Controversy: Allegations Of Voter Disenfranchisement On Orders From Above

…There is No Order From Above To disenfranchise Members of Unity Bar — Mr. Bolaji Agoro It is no longer news that the names of not less than 400 voters from the Nigerian Bar Association, Abuja Branch were not included in the Final Voters List released by the ECNBA. TheNigeriaLawyer can reliably confirm that the names of some selected members of the Nigerian Bar Association, Abuja Branch believed to be sympathetic with a Presidential Aspirant were deliberately removed from the Final Voters List by the ECNBA on ‘orders from above’. A community reading of Section 4 (a) (i) (D) of the NBA Constitution and Article 2.2 (f) of the 2nd Schedule to the NBA Constitution provide that all members of the Association shall be eligible to vote if that member belongs to a branch and makes payment of practicing fees and branch dues as and at when due. Members of the NBA Abuja Branch who visited the National Secretariat were informed that their names were deliberately removed but they should complain to the ECNBA. Members of the branch claim that letters and emails written to the ECNBA to reinstate the expunged names have been ignored and unanswered. A number of lawyers have vowed to challenge their exclusion from the NBA 2018 General Elections in Court. According to Al-Bashir Likko, Esq and Ezenwa Anumnu, Esq, who spoke with the ECNBA spokesperson, Sarah Ajijola were informed that the directive to remove the names of targeted Members of the NBA Abuja Branch came from the leadership of the ECNBA and the General Secretary of the NBA. Daniel, an affected lawyer, believes every lawyer has a duty to stand against impunity. According to Daniel, “if the ECNBA agree to be used as a tool in the hands of the cabal, I will make sure that they face the repercussions of their actions. ECNBA is not a juristic person so I am personally suing Prof. Yadudu and Bolaji Agoro, the Chairman and Secretary of the ECNBA along with the Registered Trustees of the NBA. We must hold them to account. No matter how long the case takes, even 10 years, they must pay.” TNL engaged the Chairman, Secretary of ECNBA and the General Secretary of NBA on this allegation. According to the Chairman of ECNBA Prof. Yadudu, “These are issues that will go to the committee. We have informed members who are having challenges to direct them to their branch chairmen so that they can be handled appropriately by the committee. The committee secretary will know what to do.” Mr. Bolaji Agoro said there was no such as an order from above. According to him, the person who said the directives were from above is a liar. ”It is a lie in the sense that yesterday, I was with them at the NBA Secretariat when someone came in with a petition which I read through. The lady he met told him to bring in a formal complaint,” he said. “There is a formal petition and the committee will be sitting today; the petition will be presented to the committee for deliberation,” he added. The General Secretary Isiaka Abiola Olagunju also denied the allegation and said he never received any letter as regards omission of names from the voters’ lists. In his words: “I have not seen, received or read any letter or petition in this regard from any faction of NBA Abuja branch. If they have sent before, I advise they channel their complaint properly. As for the order from above, I am not aware of it. The issue is that we cannot accept the list from any other person except the chairman recognized by NBA NEC and AGM. For those who paid into the NBA account, they should forward their names to the recognized chair that’s all.” Recall that a High Court sitting in Abuja had previously given a ruling restraining the NBA from appointing a Caretaker Committee over the NBA Abuja Branch. TheNigeriaLawyer has sighted acknowledged copies of letters written to the ECNBA to reinstate the expunged names. Below is the audio conversation between Mr Ezenwa Anumnu and one of the staff of NBA who informed him that the order was from above. https://soundcloud.com/user-78826447/nba-2018-unity-bar]]>