The Egbe Amofin O’odua, the umbrella body of lawyers of Yoruba extraction, has called on international and domestic election observer groups to decline invitations to monitor the forthcoming Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) presidential election, citing what it described as unresolved legal and procedural concerns surrounding the electoral process.
In separate open letters dated July 11, 2026, and addressed to the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, Yiaga Africa, the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) and other observer organisations, the association argued that accepting invitations to observe the election could inadvertently confer legitimacy on a process whose legal foundation remains under dispute.
Signed by its Chairman, Aare Isiaka Olagunju (SAN), and Secretary, Prince Adetunji Osho (SAN), the association alleged that the election was being organised amid claims of non-compliance with the NBA Constitution and electoral regulations.
The group further questioned the propriety of the NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe SAN decision to invite election observers, contending that such responsibility ordinarily rests with the Electoral Committee. It also alleged that the NBA President had openly supported one of the presidential candidates, thereby compromising his neutrality in the conduct of the election. Egbe Amofin also expressed reservations about the proposed electronic voting system, arguing that the absence of physical polling units makes conventional election observation ineffective.
According to the association, observers stationed at monitoring centres would have no access to the electronic infrastructure underpinning the voting process, including backend systems, servers, source codes, audit logs and data transmission protocols, making it impossible to independently verify the integrity of the election.
The association also raised concerns over the competence, independence and credibility of the Information Technology service provider engaged for the election, stating that the issues had generated widespread apprehension within the legal profession and had been the subject of petitions by two of the three presidential candidates. It urged prospective observers to satisfy themselves that the technology had undergone an independent security audit and enjoyed the confidence of all major stakeholders.
Egbe Amofin further referenced the intervention of the Attorney-General of the Federation, Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN who, it said, had recommended postponing the election until August, engaging a more credible technology provider, adopting the National Identification Number (NIN) for voter authentication, and resolving pending litigation before proceeding with the poll.
The association alleged that these recommendations were rejected by the NBA leadership and maintained that the refusal to implement them had deepened concerns over the credibility of the electoral process. It therefore urged all observer organisations to refrain from participating in or associating with the election until all pending legal issues had been resolved, all subsisting court orders complied with, and the electronic voting platform subjected to an independent and transparent audit capable of inspiring confidence across the legal profession.
According to the association, its appeal is intended to safeguard the integrity of election observation and prevent reputable democratic institutions from being perceived as endorsing an electoral process whose legality and credibility remain contested.
NBA has slated the election to take place on July 18, 2026 amidst the heated crisis rocking the association.
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