•Denies receipt of candidate’s withdrawal notice
In a press briefing held at the NBA House Auditorium in Abuja, the Chairman of the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA), Oluseun Abimbola SAN, addressed the controversy surrounding the recently concluded NBA presidential election.
Abimbola stated that the ECNBA did not receive any official communication regarding the withdrawal of any candidate from the presidential race. He clarified that the committee only read about the alleged withdrawal and subsequent counter-withdrawal on social media, just like everyone else.
“Let me say straight away that we never received any official communication of the withdrawal or notice of these activities. Whatever you read, I do now know so that I can also follow up, disclaimers, all of them,” Abimbola said.
Chukwuka Ikwuazom, SAN, a candidate for the NBA presidency, had announced his withdrawal from the election on the same day, citing concerns over the compromised integrity of the electoral process. In a letter addressed to the members of the NBA, Ikwuazom expressed his belief that the system had been manipulated to favor a predetermined outcome, consistently placing him in third position despite the overwhelming support from his dedicated supporters.
However, the ECNBA Chairman emphasized that it is the responsibility of the committee to formally announce the election results, as per the second schedule of the NBA constitution. He assured that the results were thoroughly reviewed through a systematic post-election audit, which included comparing the technicalities and documentation of the results on the electronic voting platform.
Abimbola provided statistics on the election, stating that out of the 72,069 eligible voters, a total of 40,666 votes were cast, representing a 56.4% turnout. He also mentioned that the ECNBA’s help desk received and processed 2,183 emails and 3,123 phone calls to assist members during the voting process.
Regarding the concerns raised about the real-time monitoring of votes, Abimbola explained that the electronic voting system is similar to a bucket of water, where votes are dropped in until the end of the election. He noted that taking screenshots at different intervals may show fluctuations in vote counts, but the final tally is determined once all votes have been cast.
The ECNBA Chairman proceeded to announce the election results for various positions within the NBA, including the NBA representatives to the General Council of the Bar and the national offices. Notably, in the presidential race, Mazi Afam Josiah Osigwe, SAN, emerged victorious with 20,435 votes, followed by Tobenna Erojikwe with 10,998 votes and Chukwuka Ikwuazom, SAN, with 9,018 votes.
Abimbola concluded the briefing by stating that the election reports and results have been certified by ECNBA’s technology partners, incorporated, as of July 20, 2021. He thanked all members for their participation in the electoral process.
In this article
