* I’ve provided level playing field, says NBA President NIGERIAN Bar Association, NBA, is on the March again. On July 30, and 31, financial members of the umbrella body of lawyers across the country will elect new national officers to run its affairs for the next two years. The new national officers are to be inaugurated at the Annual general Conference, AGC, slated for Port Harcourt between August 19-26. This will draw the curtain on Augustine Alegeh, SAN, led executive which assumed office August 2014. This year’s election is however, unique. It is unlike previous ones where NBA national officers were elected by delegates from different branches of the association nationwide. There are 107 branches of NBA at present. The voting method this time around is universal suffrage via electronic voting. Under the delegate system, those eligible to vote are the 10 delegates representing each branch. Apart from these, every additional 100 members entitled a branch to 10 more delegates. In other words, a branch with 80 members would produce 10 delegates while another branch with 500 members would have 50 delegates. Popular choice Some lawyers had criticised the system for its inability to allow successive NBA national officers emerge by popular choice. They faulted a situation where a fraction of their colleagues would gather at a venue and elect officers on their behalf. For instance, the total number of votes recorded at the last NBA election was less than 2,000. Specifically, the outgoing NBA president lamented that with the large population of lawyers in the country, he received a paltry over 700 votes to become the president. It was the election results that strengthened his resolve to introduce e-voting system to engender wider participation. The association has about 32 thousand financial members. These are lawyers who pay their practice fee and branch due as at March 31 of every year. They are all eligible to vote. Under the e-voting, lawyers would update regularly on NBA website which is still open and the demonstration of how to vote would be on the site for all to access. The implication is that members can vote from anywhere in the world on the election days. But this innovation has pitched the NBA president against those who prefer the old order. Some of them pointedly accused Alegeh of trying to favour a particular candidate to emerge as the next NBA president. He has also been accused of factionalising the association in order to have his way at all costs. Already, some suits have been filed against the body at various courts. While reacting to the sundry allegations pelted at him, the NBA president recalled that in order to actualise the universal suffrage and e-voting which he promised lawyers at the inception of his administration, a constitutional amendment committee was set up to incorporate these innovations into the constitution and their recommendations were sent to branches to make inputs. He stated that the constitution was passed at the last National Executive Council, NEC, meeting which took place in Benin, Edo State. Afterwards, an electoral committee was set up by the president in line with the constitution provision without any interference. Among other things, the constitution provides for zoning and eligibility to contest for offices. It provides that at the branch level, members who have held offices twice are not expected to hold offices for another five years, while those who have held offices twice at the national level are ineligible to contest until another 10 years time. It was gathered that estate valuers and surveyors as well as accountants have been using e-voting to elect their national officers for many years. Alegeh explained that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Microsoft and National Democratic Institutes have been invited to verify the parameters of the e-voting system. He pointed out that all these steps were ratified by the NBA-NEC. Concept of branch voting While responding to those who have insisted that the election be done on branch basis, he stated that “The concept of branch voting negates the essence of e-voting. Besides, a lot of branches failed to submit the list of those who paid their branch due and their branch banks statements which are vital information required by the constitution. “The energy dissipated in criticising the system should be channelled to sensitising lawyers to update. Every new thing must have challenges,” Speaking further in defence of his action, Alegeh said, “I have a pact with the association to deliver a good election and that I shall do. As far as I am concerned, we have done our best and no amount of threat will make us do otherwise. We have been elastic in this process. Before an individual goes to court, an appeal must first be lodged with the Dispute Resolution Committee of the NBA. This is provided for in section 16 pg 30 of the NBA constitution. I’m proud of the work I’ve done and the work the Electoral Committee has done.” Alegeh who also reacted to the allegation that the process is skewed to favour a particular candidate whom he is interested in. He said “You must have an interest in an association you belong to. You must ensure the person you are handling over to should be able to advance the course of the association. “I must have a right of preference and a right to vote. The constitution must not restrict me from making a choice, but I have no anointed candidates. Past NBA leaders have advised me to be silent on my choices and I have hidded the advice.” Alegeh said despite the name callings, some of the candidates have been conducting themselves in manners contrary to the provisions of NBA constitution and the rules guiding the election. He cited the case of a candidate who printed posters in contravention of section 2.3 pg 39-49 of the constitution when he visited a branch to campaign. He said the candidate had written a letter of apology to the branch over his action but has failed to respond to a letter written to him by the electoral committee on the issue. He boasted that INEC will adopt the NBA model for the country after the election.]]>