The Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association has issued a formal call for nominations for the elections of national officers and the representatives of the NBA in the General Council of the Bar, setting Wednesday, April 8, 2026, as the deadline for submission of completed nomination forms.
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The notice, dated March 16, 2026, and signed by ECNBA Chairman Aham Ejelam SAN and Secretary Ibrahim Aliyu Nassarawa Esq., was issued pursuant to the provisions of Section 10 of the Constitution of the Nigerian Bar Association 2015, as amended in 2025, and Parts III and IV of the Second Schedule to the said Constitution.
Significantly, the notice was issued despite a subsisting interim injunction from the High Court of Justice, Oyo State, sitting in Ibadan, which had restrained Ejelam, Nassarawa, and three other members of the committee from parading themselves as Chairman, Secretary, or members of the ECNBA or participating in any process connected with the conduct of the 2026 NBA national officers’ election.
According to the notice, intending candidates are to obtain their nomination forms from the ECNBA Secretariat at No. 9 Oro Ago Crescent, Garki, Abuja, or download them via email at info@ecnba.org.ng. The Secretariat will be open between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm every day except Saturdays, Sundays, and declared public holidays.
Completed nomination forms, accompanied by supporting documents, must be physically delivered in a sealed envelope clearly marked “ECNBA 2026” with the name of the candidate and the office being contested, or sent by a reputable registered courier company, to the Secretary of the ECNBA at the Garki Secretariat no later than Wednesday, April 8, 2026.
The committee warned that any unsealed envelope would be rejected and that once a form is submitted and accepted, it cannot be retrieved or retracted.
The notice outlined several key eligibility requirements for candidates. Each candidate must be nominated by a member of the NBA and seconded by another member, both of whom must be qualified to vote for the position sought by the candidate.
Candidates are required to submit along with their nomination forms copies of their Curriculum Vitae of not more than four pages, comprehensive manifestoes, and other campaign materials to the ECNBA for publication on the NBA website and all media operated by the Association.
The notice also specified that nominations shall be guided by the zoning provisions of the Constitution and set out specific eligibility criteria. Candidates must be Nigerian citizens, must not be members of a registered political party in Nigeria, must not have been adjudged bankrupt or made a compromise with creditors, must not have been declared mentally unfit by a competent medical authority, and must not have been convicted of a crime involving fraud or dishonesty by a court of competent jurisdiction or found guilty of misconduct by the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee.
The issuance of this notice by Ejelam and Nassarawa is certain to escalate the already heated controversy surrounding the NBA’s 2026 electoral process. The High Court of Justice in Ibadan, presided over by Justice G. A. Opayinka, had in Suit No. I/221/2026 granted an interim injunction restraining five individuals — Aham Ejelam SAN, Ibrahim Aliyu Nassarawa Esq., Muhamad M. Nuhu Esq., Uju Okafor Esq., and Ume Maduka Esq. — from functioning as members of the Electoral Committee.
The same court also restrained NBA President Afam Osigwe SAN from taking further steps toward the constitution or composition of the ECNBA or interfering with the conduct of the election. The matter was adjourned on March 12 to April 15, 2026, for hearing of the interlocutory injunction application, with the interim restraining orders remaining in force.
The suit was brought by four Branch Chairmen — Ibrahim Lawal Esq., Raymond Oki Esq., Omotan Olusola Ogunmodede Esq., and Chief Gabriel Ojo Adekunle Ijalana Esq. — who challenged the composition of the Electoral Committee.
By proceeding to issue the call for nominations while the court’s restraining orders remain in force, the ECNBA appears to be asserting that it considers itself validly constituted and empowered to carry out its functions. However, the claimants in the Ibadan suit and their supporters are likely to view the notice as a direct affront to the authority of the court.
The ECNBA’s decision to proceed may have been bolstered by a video recording released by NBA NEC member Ekezie K. Onumajulu Esq., which he said showed that the Electoral Committee was duly constituted at the NEC meeting held in Benin City through a motion moved by Chief Richard Ahonaruogho SAN, seconded, deliberated upon, and adopted by the Council.
Onumajulu had described the suit filed by Ibrahim Lawal as baseless, accusing the claimant of attempting to mislead the court by claiming that the NEC never adopted the ECNBA appointment.
The issuance of the nomination notice effectively sets the NBA’s 2026 electoral calendar in motion, with a April 8 deadline for nominations. However, with the Ibadan court’s restraining orders still in force and the next hearing scheduled for April 15 — one week after the nomination deadline — the legal and institutional collision between the ECNBA and the claimants challenging its legitimacy appears set to intensify.
The coming weeks will determine whether the nomination process proceeds smoothly or is disrupted by further legal action, and whether the restraining orders will be upheld, varied, or discharged at the April 15 hearing.
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