Osigwe warns lawyers against using courts, politicians to influence NBA poll
President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Afam Osigwe, has urged lawyers to refrain from using the courts or political influence to undermine the association’s forthcoming national officers’ election, insisting that members of the legal profession should set the standard for credible democratic processes.
Osigwe made the call on Wednesday during an appearance on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, ahead of the NBA election scheduled for July 20.
He said lawyers should inspire public confidence by conducting themselves responsibly instead of discrediting the electoral process with allegations that are not backed by evidence.
“We are members of a noble profession, and an election should be exemplary. Courts should not be used to truncate our democracy. Neither should politicians be used to truncate our democracy,” he said.
The NBA president lamented what he described as the growing trend of legal practitioners making claims of electoral malpractice without substantiating them. He recalled that similar allegations were made during his own election, but those making the claims failed to provide evidence when challenged.
To strengthen the credibility of the voting process, Osigwe said the association would deploy a one-time password (OTP) authentication system linked to each lawyer’s registered phone number and email address, similar to the security process used in the banking sector. He explained that each OTP would expire after a short period and could only be used once.
He also disclosed that under the NBA’s amended constitution, the list of accredited voters would be released to all candidates within six hours after the close of voting, allowing them to independently verify the integrity of the election and investigate any allegations of irregularities.
