*Especially Female Voters
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Sadiya Sule, Esq., of the NBA Suleja Branch, has cautioned the Nigerian Bar Association against introducing NIN-based voter authentication in a manner that could disenfranchise eligible lawyers in the forthcoming NBA elections.
Reacting to the recent call by Yemi Akangbe, SAN, and Aare Muyiwa Akinboro, SAN, for the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association, ECNBA, to restore NIN-based voter authentication, Sule said the NBA must prioritise inclusion over exclusion.
According to her, at a time when the Association should be focused on expanding participation and encouraging every eligible lawyer to vote, the proposal raises serious concerns about fairness, inclusion and the right of qualified lawyers to participate in the electoral process.
She argued that what appears on the surface to be a simple verification measure could, in reality, create avoidable barriers for lawyers who have already satisfied all constitutional and electoral requirements for voting.
“As a female lawyer, I must respectfully ask: why now?” she said.
Sule noted that the voters’ register has already been compiled, lawyers have paid their Bar Practising Fees and branch dues, and eligible members have already been verified and included in the voters’ register.
She further observed that the election process is already underway, adding that there is nothing in the NBA Constitution that makes NIN a requirement for voting in NBA elections.
“Why then should the rules suddenly change a few weeks before voting?” she asked.
Sule said her major concern is not politics but fairness, especially for female lawyers who may be affected by name-change issues after marriage.
She noted that across the NBA, many female lawyers have changed their names after marriage, but their new names have not been reflected on the NBA portal. According to her, some have updated their names with the Supreme Court, yet the NBA’s records have not been updated accordingly, while others may have discrepancies in spelling, initials, sequence of names or documentation.
She questioned why such lawyers should be denied the right to vote because of administrative discrepancies that have nothing to do with their eligibility as members of the Bar.
“Why should a lawyer who is already recognised by the Supreme Court of Nigeria, recognised by the NBA, listed on the voters’ register and has fulfilled all constitutional requirements suddenly face an additional hurdle before exercising her right to vote?” she asked.
Sule added that the concern goes beyond female lawyers, warning that other eligible voters could also be affected by technical issues outside their control.
She asked what would happen if a government platform becomes unavailable, if records do not match perfectly, or if an otherwise eligible voter is locked out of the system on election day.
According to her, the right to vote in NBA elections should not depend on factors completely outside the control of members.
“This election belongs to every lawyer: the young lawyer struggling to build a career, the lawyer in a remote branch, the public sector lawyer, the female lawyer balancing family and practice, and the senior lawyer who has faithfully served the profession,” she said.
She stressed that every vote matters and every lawyer matters, adding that the goal of an election should be to make participation easier for qualified voters, not more difficult.
Sule urged the NBA to avoid creating barriers that may disenfranchise lawyers who have done everything required of them under the Constitution and the Electoral Guidelines.
“The strength of our democracy as a Bar lies not in how many obstacles we place before voters, but in how many eligible lawyers we empower to participate,” she said.
“Let every qualified lawyer vote. Let every vote count. Let fairness prevail.”
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