Egbe Amofin O’odua, the Yoruba Lawyers Forum, has written separate open letters to foreign missions and election monitoring organisations, urging them not to observe or associate with the forthcoming Nigerian Bar Association election unless outstanding legal and procedural concerns are resolved.
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The letters, dated July 11, 2026, were addressed to the European Union, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Yiaga Africa, Transition Monitoring Group and other organisations reportedly invited to observe the NBA election. They were signed by the Chairman of Egbe Amofin O’odua, Aare Isiaka Abiola Olagunju, SAN, and the Secretary, Prince Adetunji Osho, SAN.
Egbe Amofin said while election observation is generally recognised as a tool for promoting transparency and public confidence, the peculiar circumstances surrounding the proposed NBA election raise serious questions as to whether the process is capable of meaningful observation.
The Forum alleged that the election is being organised amid claims of non-compliance with the NBA Constitution and regulations governing the electoral process.
It warned that participation by reputable local, international or diplomatic observers may inadvertently lend legitimacy to an election whose legal foundation remains disputed.
Egbe Amofin therefore urged the invited organisations and foreign missions to independently ascertain the true legal status of the election before accepting any invitation to observe it.
The Forum also questioned the propriety of the NBA President extending invitations to observers, arguing that such invitation should ordinarily come from the Electoral Committee of the NBA.
It alleged that the NBA President had been under scrutiny over alleged bias and open support for one of the presidential candidates.
According to Egbe Amofin, the invitation to observers amounted to what it described as “validity seeking,” insisting that no credible election could be organised under the watch of a leadership it claimed was compromised.
The Forum further argued that because the election is to be conducted entirely through an electronic voting platform, ordinary physical observation would not be sufficient to verify the integrity of the process.
It said that unlike conventional elections with polling units, voting centres and physical accreditation, the credibility of an electronic election depends on the security, independence, credibility and auditability of the technology infrastructure.
Egbe Amofin said observers seated in a conference room or monitoring centre would have no access to the backend systems, servers, source codes, security architecture, audit logs or data transmission protocols through which votes are cast, transmitted, processed and collated.
It maintained that without access to such technical layers, observers would be unable to independently verify whether the electronic voting process faithfully reflects the votes cast.
The Forum also raised concerns about the competence, independence and credibility of the Information Technology service provider engaged for the election.
In the letter to Yiaga Africa, TMG and other organisations, Egbe Amofin said petitions by two of the three NBA presidential candidates had expressed concerns over the IT service provider, thereby generating widespread apprehension among members of the Bar.
It urged the organisations and foreign missions to satisfy themselves that any technology deployed for the election had undergone credible independent security audit and enjoys the confidence of major stakeholders.
Egbe Amofin also referred to the intervention of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, saying the AGF issued directions advising, among others, that the election be postponed to a later date in August, that a more credible service provider be retained, that National Identification Number be used for voter authentication, and that lawsuits against the NBA, the NBA President and the ECNBA be withdrawn after concerns of litigants are addressed.
The Forum criticised the NBA President’s rejection of the AGF’s intervention, alleging that instead of appreciating what it described as the good intention of the AGF, the NBA leadership attacked and sponsored denigrating publications against the person and office of the AGF.
Egbe Amofin alleged that the NBA President was determined to “crown his preferred successor” and had refused to accept the AGF’s directions, which it said were aimed at ensuring a credible election and amicable resolution of the issues surrounding the poll.
The Forum warned that election observation should not become a symbolic exercise deployed merely to create the appearance of credibility where substantial legal and procedural issues remain unresolved.
It urged the EU, US, UK, Yiaga Africa, TMG and other invited organisations to refrain from participating in, observing or associating with the proposed NBA election until all outstanding legal issues are conclusively resolved, the process fully complies with every subsisting court order, and the electronic voting platform is subjected to an independent, transparent and credible audit.
Egbe Amofin said the request was made in the interest of preserving the integrity of democratic institutions, protecting the credibility of election observation and ensuring that respected organisations are not perceived as validating a process whose legality and integrity remain controversial.
The Forum urged the foreign missions and election monitoring bodies to act in line with the democratic values, rule of law, due process, transparency and electoral integrity they have consistently championed.
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