*As President Becomes The Face Of The Electoral Process
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The President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mazi Afam Osigwe SAN, has firmly denied allegations that he endorsed any candidate or deployed the rhetoric of inclusiveness as a cover for political manipulation ahead of the Association’s forthcoming elections — insisting that the claims are baseless and challenging his accusers to provide specific evidence of wrongdoing.
However, even as the NBA President defends himself against allegations of interference, lawyers have raised a separate but equally important concern: the conspicuous silence and invisibility of the Chairman of the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association, who has failed to issue any public statement, hold any press conference, or provide any assurance about the integrity of the electoral process — leaving the NBA President to become the sole voice explaining, defending, and communicating about an election he constitutionally has no power to control.
In an interview with SaharaReporters on Wednesday, Osigwe responded to accusations made by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Muritala Abdul-Rasheed, who had alleged bias and undue influence in the build-up to the NBA elections.
Osigwe anchored his defence on the NBA Constitution, specifically citing Article 20, Part III, 2nd Schedule, which expressly prohibits endorsement of candidates by any arm of the Association.
“The NBA Constitution precludes NBA branches, sections, or fora from endorsing any prospective aspirant or candidate for any elective position in the Association. Any officer or member who endorses or causes such endorsement shall be deemed guilty of professional misconduct and referred to the Disciplinary Committee for appropriate sanctions,” Osigwe stated.
He emphasised that the NBA operates a zoning arrangement dividing the presidency among three broad regions — East, West, and North — but that zoning does not confer the power to impose a candidate.
“Elections are conducted through universal adult suffrage, where qualified aspirants contest and members of the Bar freely choose their leaders,” the NBA President stated.
Osigwe addressed the controversy surrounding endorsements within regional blocs, maintaining that no such endorsement is legally enforceable under the NBA Constitution.
“Nobody is bound by any purported endorsement. The constitution does not give any person or group the authority to stop another from contesting. At best, such arrangements are morally persuasive, not legally enforceable,” he explained.
He cited the 2018 NBA presidential race as precedent, noting that despite an endorsement by the Eastern Bar Forum, Paul Usoro ultimately emerged as president without being the endorsed candidate.
Osigwe addressed claims that his remarks at a recent event signalled support for a particular candidate, especially in relation to gender inclusion.
“At a UN Women event marking International Women’s Day, I merely observed that the NBA has never elected a female president. I noted that while a woman once served as president, it was not through election. I then posed the question of whether the Bar would align with global calls for increased female political participation. That was not an endorsement,” Osigwe clarified.
On allegations of interference with the electoral process, Osigwe categorically denied any involvement, stressing the constitutional independence of the ECNBA.
“The constitution is clear that the Electoral Committee is not subject to the control or direction of the President or the National Executive Council. Since its inauguration, I have neither spoken to nor given any directive to the committee. I lack the constitutional power to do so,” Osigwe stated.
He challenged his accusers directly: “If anyone claims I am manipulating the process, they should provide specifics. What exactly have I done? The Electoral Committee has not even commenced the substantive process beyond calling for nominations, yet allegations are already flying.”
Osigwe clarified a previous statement in which he declared he would not be “neutral,” explaining it was taken out of context.
“I said I would not be neutral in the sense that I will exercise my constitutional right to vote on election day. The constitution does not strip me of that right. It does not mean I am influencing the process,” he explained.
He drew an analogy: “The President of Nigeria appoints members of INEC, yet that alone does not invalidate elections. For instance, Goodluck Jonathan appointed officials who conducted the 2015 election, which he lost.”
Osigwe warned against the growing trend of conflicting court orders targeting the NBA electoral process, drawing a parallel with the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election.
“June 12 happened in part because of contradictory court orders some saying release results, others saying don’t. We must not allow such a situation to repeat itself within the NBA,” Osigwe cautioned.
He accused certain groups of deliberately seeking contradictory injunctions one compelling the Electoral Committee to recognise only a particular candidate, and another seeking to halt the committee entirely.
“These efforts are designed to create confusion and crisis within the NBA, to make it impossible to conduct elections. It is a dangerous path that threatens the integrity of the Bar,” Osigwe warned.
Osigwe revealed that attempts to pre-select candidates predate the current cycle, recounting that before the conclusion of the 2024 NBA elections, certain individuals had privately convened to anoint a preferred candidate for when it would be the Western zone’s turn.
“Long before our own election was concluded in 2024, some individuals sat down and claimed they had already selected a candidate for when it would be the turn of the West. That decision did not reflect the collective will of the people,” Osigwe stated.
The allegations against Osigwe were made by Senior Advocate Muritala Abdul-Rasheed, a former Publicity Secretary of the NBA, in a statement following a strategic advocacy meeting on women inclusiveness held on April 13, 2026, at Abuja Continental Hotel.
Abdul-Rasheed alleged that Osigwe’s public endorsement of Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya SAN amounts to “a calculated attempt to influence the electoral process and undermine the long-standing zoning arrangement within the NBA.”
He described the development as “a troubling chapter in what has become a pattern of calculated and orchestrated partisanship.”
While the NBA President defends himself and the electoral process in media interviews, lawyers across the country are asking a pointed question: where is the Chairman of the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association?
Since the ECNBA was constituted an event that itself generated months of litigation and the bitter Okutepa-Osigwe feud the chairman of the committee has been conspicuously absent from public discourse. No press conference has been held. No statement has been issued addressing the concerns, court orders, or allegations swirling around the electoral process. No assurance has been given to the 200,000-plus members of the Nigerian Bar about the integrity, timeline, or credibility of the upcoming election.
Instead, the ECNBA chairman has become what lawyers are describing as a “faceless” figure invisible to the profession while presiding over its most consequential democratic exercise.
The silence has forced the NBA President who constitutionally has no power to control or direct the Electoral Committee to become the sole spokesperson for the electoral process. Every question about the election goes to Osigwe. Every allegation about the election is directed at Osigwe. Every defence of the election comes from Osigwe.
This creates an impossible situation: the man accused of interfering with the election is the only person publicly defending its integrity, because the person actually responsible for conducting the election says nothing.
Lawyers have drawn an uncomfortable parallel between the ECNBA chairman’s silence and the conduct of the INEC chairman noting that both are presiding over contentious electoral processes, both have been accused of bias, and both have allowed controversies to fester through silence and opacity rather than addressing them through transparency and communication.
“He is behaving like the INEC chairman,” one lawyer told TheNigeriaLawyer. “Faceless, voiceless, and hiding behind others while the institution he leads loses credibility by the day.”
The criticism extends to the ECNBA’s communication methods. Rather than using open, transparent channels to communicate with the profession — such as the NBA’s official platforms, public announcements, or press briefings — the committee has reportedly moved to email list communications that reach only a subset of the profession, further reducing transparency and accountability.
The fundamental question lawyers are raising is not whether Osigwe endorsed a candidate — a question he has addressed through constitutional provisions and denials — but whether the ECNBA is functioning as an independent, transparent, and credible electoral body capable of conducting elections that the entire Bar will accept.
An electoral committee whose chairman does not speak, does not appear publicly, does not address concerns, does not respond to court orders in the public domain, and does not provide regular updates to the profession it serves cannot credibly claim to be conducting a fair and transparent election.
The ECNBA chairman’s silence leaves a vacuum that is being filled by allegations, court orders, factional claims, and the NBA President’s own defensive statements — none of which serve the purpose of building confidence in the electoral process.
Until the ECNBA chairman steps forward, takes ownership of the process, addresses the concerns being raised, and provides transparent assurances to the profession, the credibility of the NBA elections will continue to be questioned — and the NBA President will continue to bear the burden of defending a process he insists he has no power to control.
Osigwe concluded his interview by calling for the electoral process to be allowed to run its course.
“All we ask is simple: let candidates present themselves, let members vote, and let the will of the Bar prevail. That is the essence of democracy,” the NBA President stated.
“The only allegation that can stand against me is proof that I interfered with the Electoral Committee or manipulated the process. There is none,” he added.
Whether his denials will satisfy his critics or whether the ECNBA chairman’s continued silence will continue to undermine confidence in the process remains to be seen as the NBA moves closer to one of its most contested elections in recent memory.
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