Other winners are Mr. Caleb Gal Dajan, First Vice President; Mr. Monday Ubani, Second Vice President and Mr. Benedict Oji, Third Vice President, all of whom were returned unopposed. Mr. Isiaka Olagunju polled 2721 votes to beat Mr. Desmond Yamah who polled 2510 votes, while the post of First Assistant Secretary went to Mr. Okey Leo Ohagba who received 2402 votes to beat his closet rival, Mr. Olukunle Edun who polled 1653 votes. Mr. Enebi Mohammed Salihu polled 1067 votes to place third. Other winners are Ugbuji Cecilia Ngede, Second Assistant Secretary; Ado Aisha Abdullahi, Treasurer; Adesina Adegbite, Welfare Secretary; Ngozi Udodi, Financial Secretary; Dorcas Ngwu, Assistant Financial Secretary; Chuwuemeka Mbamala, Assistant Publicity Secretary, and Oyeyemi Rafiu Balogun, Legal Adviser. [table id=1 /] • Supporters bicker over ‘rigging’ Meanwhile, supporters of Gadzama and Mahmoud engaged themselves in a war of words over allegations of plans to rig the elections. Opening the can of worms, a key supporter of Gadzama, Mr. T. T. Hyundu wrote: “Gentlemen, it has been discovered that the NBA EXCO fraudulently created a portal for A. B. Mahmoud where the result is collated separately from the original portal.” Not done, Hyundu who is also the Assistant Secretary of Arewa Lawyers Forum (ALF) said: “Furthermore, there are additional names added to the branches e. g. 200 names were added to Abuja branch just to enable them have their way. I now understand the basis of our opponents (sic) boastfulness. This is indeed ‘promoting the rule of law’.” But the Mahmoud camp quickly fired back. Mr. Jibrin Sam Okutepa, SAN said: “Mr. Hyundu I don’t think giving (sic) your propensity to make wild and unsubstantiated allegations I will be bothered about what you post. But having invited me and the fact that I am a stake holder in this project of the Bar I am forced to react thus: That your allegation of manipulation of voters Register with over 200 members to favour one candidate against your preferred candidate must be proved by you and you need to supply sufficient particulars. “Two your assertion that NBA president allowed presidential candidates and indeed other candidates to have experts represent them at the secretariat which I confirmed to be correct is in sharp contrast with the allegation in litigations sponsored by your preferred candidate that the president did (sic) allow experts to represent candidates. “For me giving (sic) the level of your propensity to make allegations and requesting your audience to investigate I wouldn’t be carried away to attach any credibility to this one as the allegations are coming from person whose interest in this election is not strictly overall interest of the Bar but personal interest. For me you are a senior member of the Bar of post call of 26 years that needs to be sure of what you post on this forum. I don’t believe you and even the conference you intend to hold on behalf of your sponsor is intended to discredit the process as alibi to create confusion to be instigated by your sponsor. After all whatever a fowl cannot eat it got the power to scatter and destroy it. But I plead with you to think twice before spread (sic) your allegations which may be counter productive like litigations that were promoted and sponsored by your sponsors.” The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday monitor the NBA Elections. The National Democratic Institute and Microsoft Corporation were also involved in the election. In a protest letter delivered by the J-K Gadzama Campaign Organisation to the Electoral Committee Chairman, Mr. Kenneth Mozia SAN, the group recalled its earlier letters on the election “expressing grave and growing concerns about the NBA National elections. We are constrained to write again in view of the fact that some of these concerns were either completely ignored or inadequately addressed. “We refer specifically to our previous letters of the 24th June, 15th July and 20th July 2016. All of these letters and their various attachments were received by the Nigerian Bar Association as shown by their endorsements. Please find copies of these letters attached for ease of reference. “We wish to now draw your attention to some very important concerns. Our agents have been in the NBA National Secretariat for the past 40 hours. All they have monitored in all those 40 hours is nothing more than the names of those voting and the branches from which they voted. We do not think this is meaningful at all.” The campaign organisation further said: “The whole point of a voting process is the outcome. It is of utmost importance therefore that the process leading to that outcome is seen by all to be clear and credible. A situation where our agents cannot see the results accruing to candidates as they come is simply wrong. Secret collation has never been healthy for any true democratic process. Yet secret collation is apparently what is going on.” Another concern of the group was that “it was only around midnight yesterday that our Agents were informed for the very first time of the total number of accredited voters. This is in spite of the fact the accreditation had been on for several days – yet no information was given until last night. And even then the Chairman, we understand read out the following figures to the team of Agents and ECNBA members present: 1. Total number of lawyers eligible to vote……………………………24,305 2. Total number of eligible lawyers who updated their records…………11,646 3. Total number of updated lawyers accredited to vote………………..6,932 “We wish to place on record that regardless of whatever arguments about protecting the security of the Electoral body or preventing political manoeuvring; it is not right that results are collated secretly, and agents prevented from seeing the scores of their candidates as votes are returned. This has defeated the very essence of having an agent to monitor the process.” It also bemoaned “what appears to be wholesale disenfranchisement of branches. For instance, we gather that in Badagry and Ile-Ife Branches, a large number of updated lawyers either did not receive any email with accreditation link or the link received did not function at all and all complaints were went unheeded and ultimately unresolved. We attach relevant correspondence from some affected branches. “We trust that you will ensure that the obvious gaps created by the secret collation, as well as the late announcement of total votes cast and total number of accredited voters are not exploited. We also hope you that you will ensure that the integrity of the entire process is not compromised as a result of the failure to resolve issues around accreditation of updated lawyers.” The campaign outfit then demanded “that the system be opened up to enable the agents of all candidates in this election (including ours) to view and monitor the votes scored by each of the candidates as they come in since this is the final collation.” Hiccups were experienced by eligible voters in the process of updating their profiles and accreditation to vote. Among those who had issues with the electoral process are Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN; Chief Emeka Ngige, SAN; Mrs. Funke Adekoya, SAN and Mr. Femi Falana SAN, even as some lawyers threatened to sue the NBA if disenfranchised. The Electoral Committee of the NBA (ECNBA) had set up a Situation Room to monitor the elections. The ECNBA had invited the candidates to send in their agents to monitor the elections, but some candidates complained that they were not given full access to monitor the process. Unini Chioma k (THENIGERIALAWYER) and Emeka Nwadioke (CITY LAWYER MAGAZINE)]]>