Senior Advocate of Nigeria and legal practitioner, Dr. M. O. Ubani, SAN, has congratulated the winners of the 2026 Nigerian Bar Association National Elections but insisted that the electoral process must be questioned due to reported technical failures that allegedly prevented many eligible lawyers from voting.
![](https://thenigerialawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ELLAN.png")
![](https://thenigerialawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2026-Summer-IDRI-Masterclass.jpg")
In a statement titled “NBA Elections 2026: Congratulations To The Winners, But The Electoral Process Must Be Questioned!”, Ubani said that for the first time in his life as a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, he was unable to exercise his right to vote in an NBA election.
According to him, his inability to vote was not for lack of effort, as he made repeated and strenuous attempts to participate in the process, but all proved unsuccessful.
Ubani said that from the commencement of voting, after several hours of reported technical glitches, the One-Time Password required to complete the voting process did not arrive.
He added that after several unsuccessful attempts, the response on his device changed to the now-familiar message: “This site can’t be reached.”
He said that remained his experience until voting eventually came to an end.
The senior lawyer disclosed that he was not alone, as his son, who is also a lawyer and eligible voter, suffered a similar fate during the exercise.
He said several colleagues and friends also called him during the election to complain of substantially similar difficulties.
According to him, some lawyers even switched from mobile phones to laptops, following reports that laptops were a better means of accessing the voting platform, but their difficulties persisted.
Ubani said it would therefore be difficult to dismiss the complaints as isolated incidents or the frustration of a few disgruntled voters.
He argued that an electoral process which technically disenfranchises a significant number of eligible voters cannot be described as wholly free, fair, credible and inclusive.
The former NBA Vice President noted that there was considerable enthusiasm around the 2026 NBA election, with many lawyers eager to participate because of the attention, mobilisation and expectations generated by the contest.
He described it as unfortunate that many who desired to exercise their franchise were allegedly prevented from doing so, not by their own choice, but by apparent failures in the electoral technology and process.
“Whoever insists that there was no problem with the process, in the face of the widespread complaints experienced and reported by members, would simply not be presenting a fair account of what transpired,” he said.
Ubani, however, stressed that his criticism of the process was not an invitation to diminish the victories of those declared winners.
He warmly congratulated Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, the newly announced President of the Nigerian Bar Association, and all other candidates who emerged victorious in the election.
He wished them a successful tenure and expressed hope that their leadership would strengthen the Bar, defend the rule of law, and advance the welfare and professional interests of Nigerian lawyers.
Ubani said he believed Badejo-Okusanya could still have won resoundingly even without the technical glitches that cast a shadow over the election.
According to him, that is why the issues arising from the process should not be ignored or swept under the carpet.
He said the legitimacy of leadership is strengthened, not weakened, when legitimate questions surrounding the process that produced it are openly acknowledged and addressed.
Ubani urged the incoming NBA leadership to begin with a candid interrogation of the electoral process through which it emerged.
Drawing a comparison with Nigeria’s democratic history, he recalled that the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, after emerging victorious in the controversial 2007 general election, openly acknowledged that the process which brought him into office was flawed and thereafter initiated electoral reforms.
Ubani said that acknowledgment did not diminish Yar’Adua’s office but demonstrated a willingness to confront deficiencies in the system.
He called on the incoming NBA leadership to show similar institutional courage.
According to him, Badejo-Okusanya owes the NBA constituency a responsibility to acknowledge the genuine complaints arising from the election and support a transparent review of what went wrong.
He said the relevant electoral authorities of the Association must provide clear answers on why many eligible voters reportedly experienced difficulties receiving OTPs, why members were confronted with inaccessible platforms and error messages, the extent of voter disenfranchisement caused by technical failures, whether adequate contingency measures were in place, and what reforms would prevent a recurrence.
Ubani maintained that these questions should not be treated as partisan attacks against the winners but as institutional questions going directly to the integrity of the Nigerian Bar Association.
He said lawyers routinely demand credible elections, transparency and accountability from the Independent National Electoral Commission and other public institutions, adding that the NBA cannot demand from others a standard it is unwilling to apply to itself.
He therefore urged the Association to undertake a comprehensive post-election audit and review of the 2026 electoral process.
Ubani said the findings should be made available to members, identified technological and administrative failures should be addressed, and appropriate safeguards should be put in place before the next NBA election.
“Electronic voting should expand participation, not become an instrument, however unintended, to disenfranchise,” he said.
He again congratulated the winners but said they must note that an election in which a presidential candidate, many lawyers, his son and persons like him who were ready, willing and eligible to vote could not exercise their franchise because of reported technical failures raises serious questions about the inclusiveness, credibility and fairness of the process.
“The NBA must learn from this experience and correct its shortcomings before the next election. The time to start is now,” Ubani said.
The statement was signed by Dr. M. O. Ubani, SAN, Legal Practitioner/Policy Analyst.
LAWBREED — Equipping You For Greater Success!
_______________________________________________________________________
“Order Justice Omolaye-Ajileye’s Electronic Evidence Books Now” — Essential Guides On Evidence Act, Case Law And Digital Proof
[A MUST HAVE] Evidence Act Demystified With Recent And Contemporary Cases And Materials
Available now for NGN 40,000 at ASC Publications, 10, Boyle Street, Onikan, Lagos. Beside High Court, TBS. Email publications@ayindesanni.com or WhatsApp +2347056667384. Purchase Link: https://paystack.com/buy/evidence-act-complete-annotation
______________________________________________________________________ “Enhance Legal Practice With Authoritative Reports” — Alexander Payne Offers Comprehensive Law Reports, Spanning Over A Century Of Nigerian Jurisprudence
Interested buyers are encouraged to place their orders and enquiries via:
0704 444 4777, 0704 444 4999, 0818 199 9888
Website: www.alexandernigeria.com
As an added bonus, every purchase comes with a FREE ebook titled: “How to use the AI in Legalpedia and Law Pavilion.”
Ohio Books Ltd praises the publication, stating:
"....this is the only Nigerian book I know of on the topic."
How to Order:
📞 Call, Text, or WhatsApp: 08034917063 | 07055285878
📧 Email: benadigwe1@gmail.com
🌎 Website: www.benadigwe.com
Ebook Version: Access it directly online at https://selar.com/prv626
Authored by Ben Ijeoma Adigwe Esq., ACiarb (UK), LL.M, Dip. in Artificial Intelligence, Director at the Delta State Ministry of Justice, Asaba, Nigeria.
