Photo credit: SaharaReporters

The former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikorodu Branch, and aspirant for 1st Vice-President of NBA, Mr. Bayo Akinlade, has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged electronic fraud committed at the just concluded elections of NBA.

Akinlade, in the letter which was addressed to the Acting Chairman of the EFCC, sighted by TheNigeriaLawyer (TNL), urged the EFCC to investigate the inflation and injection of names into the voters list, the security of the website, the late release of the voters list among other issues.

Read the letter below:

24th August 2020

The Acting Chairman
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
C/o
EFCC Lagos Office
15A, Awolowo Rd,
Ikoyi, Lagos

Mr. Chairman;

REQUEST TO INVESTIGATE THE ALLEGATIONS OF ELECTRONIC FRAUD COMMITTED ON THE E-VOTING PLATFORM OF THE NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION

The above subject matter refers;

On the 29th and 30th of July 2020, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) embarked on elections to usher in the new national executives of the NBA of which I contested for the position of 1st Vice President.

The process leading to the elections were shrouded in mystery especially with regards to the IT Company that was to manage the e-voting Platform. 2 days before the elections at a zoom meeting with all the contestants and the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) present, I enquired about the whereabouts of representatives of the IT Company and asked why they were not present at the briefing but I received no satisfactory answers.

Mr. Olumide Akpata (a presidential candidate at the time and the declared winner of this controversial elections) wrote a letter to the ECNBA days before the elections stating that:

the lack of information regarding the specific modalities for the forth-coming election is quite disturbing as of the date of writing this letter, the ECNBA has not informed me and I believe any other candidate, of the technology it intends to use in the elections, how that technology works, who will provide it, how secure it is against possible hacks or manipulation (such as the ones that currently bedevil the NBA Portal). We have not seen any demonstration or test-run of the proposed technology and are therefore not able to ascertain that it would work at all, to say nothing of guaranteeing free, fair and transparent elections.

While Deacon Dele Adesina (also a contestant for the office of the President) stated in his letter to the NBA Board of Trustees after the conduct of the elections that:
It is significant to note that the system used for this election was said to have been registered the very day the election was to start and the MoU was signed on that same day. The appointment of the Service Provider was done solely by the President contrary to the provisions of Section 18 (2) of the NBA Constitution which obligates the ECNBA to engage the Service Provider for the Election. There was no opportunity to interrogate the System before the commencement of the Election in order to determine its vulnerability, security and capacity. The inability to deliver 14,000 notices to prospective voters 13 hours after the commencement of the Election was not only evidence of lack of capacity on the part of the System but also a clear disenfranchisement of these prospective voters. Therefore, the election failed to conform with the minimum principle of fairness and transparency.

The NBA BOT in their response to Deacon Dele Adesina SAN agreed that; indeed there were anomalies and inconsistencies in the conduct of the elections that required resolving. It is to this end that I respectfully call on your goodself to investigate these inconsistencies and the following allegations:

The Inflation and injection of names into the Voters List ;
Lack of information regarding the Service Provider, the Election portal and the security of the NBA Website;
Electronic fraud where the server used for the Election was loaded with predetermined data;
Why the Verified Voters List used for the Election was only released by the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) 5 hours to the Election
The Padding, manipulation and doctoring by the Election Buddy IT Company to achieve preconceived intentions and other grave errors of omission and commission contained in the Petition by Deacon Dele Adesina to the NBA BOT (Herein attached)

Why about 40% of voters could not vote as they were not sent the links to do so; amongst other issues that need explaining.

It is important to note that there was meant to be an auditing of the Election results before the winners were announced but up until now, no audit has been done but winners of the elections have been announced. It begs the question: Why?
I respectfully therefore; urge that this Petition be given priority by your office as I am aware of the fact that there is an on-going investigation by the Commission regarding the 2018 NBA National Elections.

Thank you
Yours faithfully,

Adebayo Akinlade Esq.
National Convener, Fight Against Corruption in the Judiciary
And Fmr. Chairman, NBA Ikorodu Branch

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