The Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) has officially issued Notice No. 3 for the 2026 NBA elections, requesting Letters of Expression of Interest from any aspirant seeking election as a member representing the NBA in the General Council of the Bar.
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The notice, dated February 12, 2026, and signed by ECNBA Chairman Aham Ejelam SAN and Secretary Ibrahim Aliyu Nassarawa Esq, was issued from the ECNBA Secretariat at NBA House, 24 Oro Ago Street, Garki, Abuja.
The ECNBA stated that the notice was issued pursuant to Sections 7(1), (2) and (3) and Section 10 of the Nigerian Bar Association Constitution 2015 (as amended in 2025) and the Second Schedule thereof. It is also issued pursuant to Section 1(2)(c) of the Legal Practitioners Act.
According to the notice, a total of eighteen (18) representatives are to be elected from the three zones of the Nigerian Bar Association — East, West, and North — to serve in the General Council of the Bar.
Each of the three zones is required to produce a minimum of six (6) members, filling the 18 available slots. The elected members will hold office for a term of two (2) years.
The ECNBA further specified that at least two (2) of the aspirants from each of the three zones must not be less than 10 years post-call to the Nigerian Bar. This requirement ensures that each zone produces representatives with a significant level of experience and seniority within the legal profession.
The ECNBA outlined strict eligibility criteria that any member of the Association seeking election into the General Council of the Bar must satisfy. The notice states that to be qualified, a candidate must meet all of the following conditions:
- Must be a full member of the Nigerian Bar Association.
- Must have paid, as and when due, as at the date of his or her nomination, the Bar Practicing fees and Branch dues for three (3) consecutive years inclusive of the year of the election (2026).
- Must be in private legal practice. This means lawyers in public service, the judiciary, academia, or corporate in-house roles who are not in private practice are not eligible to contest.
- Must have at any time, not less than two (2) years prior to his or her nomination, been a member of the National Executive Council, or served as a Branch Executive Officer, or been a Member of the Executive Committee/Governing Council of a Section or Forum in the Association — UNLESS the aspirant is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), in which case this requirement is waived.
The exemption for Senior Advocates of Nigeria is significant, as it allows SANs to contest directly without having previously served in any of the specified executive capacities within the NBA’s structure. For all other lawyers, the two-year prior executive service requirement is mandatory.
The ECNBA has set a firm deadline for all persons desirous of contesting for election as a member of the General Council of the Bar in the NBA 2026 elections. All aspirants are required to submit their Letter of Expression of Interest on or before the 23rd day of February, 2026, by 5:00 PM.
The committee made it clear that applicants have until 5:00 PM on February 23, 2026 to comply with all requirements as contained in Notice No. 3. This gives aspiring candidates just over one week from the date the notice was issued (February 12) to prepare and submit their applications.
The ECNBA provided detailed instructions on how the Letter of Expression of Interest should be prepared and what it must contain. The committee specified that:
The letter must be written on the applicant’s personal Letter Headed Paper, with telephone numbers (WhatsApp), and email addresses included. Critically, the letter must be signed personally by the applicant — not by a proxy or agent.
The ECNBA specified that the letter must contain the following mandatory information:
- The applicant’s full names as enrolled in the Supreme Court Rolls, and the current names if different from the ones in the Supreme Court Rolls.
- Supreme Court Enrollment Number.
- Year of Call to the Bar.
- Branch Name (the NBA branch to which the applicant belongs).
- Physical Address of Chambers (the applicant’s law office address).
- Confirmation or otherwise of NEC membership and/or Branch Executive and/or Section and/or Forum as prescribed by the NBA Constitution.
- Confirmation of payments of practicing fees and Branch dues as and when due as prescribed.
In addition to the letter, the ECNBA mandated that each application must be accompanied by a clear, clean, legible, current, and valid photo identification of the applicant. The acceptable forms of identification listed by the committee are:
- ECOWAS/Nigerian Passport data page.
- National Identification Number (NIN) Slip or Card.
- Voters Card (PVC — Permanent Voter’s Card).
- Driver’s License.
The committee made it explicit that only these forms of identification will be accepted, and they must be current and valid at the time of submission.
The ECNBA provided two channels for the submission of applications. All letters and supporting documents should be addressed to:
The Chairman,
ECNBA 2026 Elections,
ECNBA Secretariat,
NBA House, 24 Oro Ago Street, Area 11, Garki, Abuja.
For electronic submission, soft copies of the letter and all supporting documents should be sent to the ECNBA 2026 official email address: info@ecnba.org.ng.
Hard copies of the application and supporting documents are to be sent via courier to the ECNBA Secretariat at the address stated above.
The ECNBA thus requires aspirants to submit both electronic (soft copy) and physical (hard copy) versions of their applications to ensure completeness of the process.
Notice Issued: February 12, 2026
Application Deadline: February 23, 2026, at 5:00 PM
Positions Available: 18 seats (6 per zone — East, West, North)
Tenure: 2 years
Minimum Post-Call Requirement: At least 2 aspirants per zone must be 10+ years post-call
Email for Soft Copies: info@ecnba.org.ng
Hard Copy Address: NBA House, 24 Oro Ago Street, Area 11, Garki, Abuja
Signed By: Aham Ejelam SAN (Chairman) & Ibrahim Aliyu Nassarawa Esq (Secretary)
The issuance of Notice No. 3 marks a significant step in the build-up to the 2026 NBA elections, signalling that the race for representation in the General Council of the Bar is now officially open. The General Council is one of the most important governance structures within the Nigerian Bar Association, responsible for key decisions affecting the regulation and administration of the legal profession in Nigeria.
The election of 18 representatives from the three zones — East, West, and North — ensures geographical balance and representation across the country’s legal community. The requirement that aspirants must be in private legal practice, coupled with the mandatory executive service experience (or SAN status), is designed to ensure that only experienced and actively engaged members of the profession are elected to serve on the Council.
ELCNBAWith the deadline set for February 23, 2026, eligible lawyers across Nigeria now have a narrow window to prepare their applications and declare their intentions to represent their zones in the NBA’s General Council for the next two years.
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