"How Nigeria Bar Association Election was Rigged".....Chief Emeka Ngige

Mr. Emeka Ngige, SAN, one of the presidential candidate in the just concluded Nigerian Bar Association elections, has alleged that the election was marred by serious irregularities. He claimed that the electoral process was manipulated to favour some of the candidates in the election. He specifically complained about the inclusion of names of deceased  lawyers as delegates in  list as well as the accreditation of lawyers who were constitutionally not qualified, Non- NEC members to be delegates.

Ngige said he would not go to court to seek  for the nullification of the NBA election

“If I get the election nullified, it will not affect only the presidency, it will affect all the offices contested and there would be impasse which may make  government to interfere."  

 Mr. Ngige's claim has seriously rattled NBA, which had made spirited attempt to refute the claims.

In denial the NBA said the names of the dead lawyers were not intentionally included in the list in order to rig the election. 

The outgoing General Secretary of the NBA, Mr. Olumuyiwa Akinboro, who spoke for the association, said the names were obtained from a register of living lawyers published by the Supreme Court in May this year. He also justified the inclusion of the names of wife and son of the outgoing President of the NBA, Mr. Joseph Daudu, in the list of voters.

According to him, whereas Daudu’s wife voted in her capacity as a member of the NBA NEC, the son participated in the process due to his position as the President of the Young Lawyers Association of Nigeria.

 Mr. Ngige came second in just concluded election while Mr. Wali won the presidential seat.