A presidential candidate in the 2026 Nigerian Bar Association National Officers Election, Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN, has rejected the conduct of the poll, alleging that constitutional, administrative and technological defects undermined its credibility.

Akinboro stated his position in a post-election assessment titled, “My Assessment of the Charade; I Saw It Coming.”

He expressed appreciation to lawyers who supported his campaign across the country, saying their commitment strengthened his conviction that many members desire a more inclusive, independent and effective Bar.

According to the Senior Advocate, his nationwide consultations also revealed considerable dissatisfaction among lawyers over the condition and direction of the Association.

Akinboro alleged that the NBA had become “entrapped and captured,” claiming that some members faced pressure and coercion during the campaign. He maintained that he contested the election despite being aware of the institutional challenges because he wanted to draw attention to the need for far-reaching reforms.

He argued that the controversy surrounding the poll preceded election day and arose from deeper structural problems within the electoral process.

Among the issues raised were questions concerning the constitutionality of the appointment of ECNBA members, the subsequent appointment of the Committee’s Chairman and Secretary to the Body of Benchers, alleged partisanship by the NBA leadership and the competence of the electronic voting service providers.

Akinboro also disputed the ECNBA’s explanation that a cyberattack was responsible for the delayed opening of the voting platform. He contended that several reported defects before and during voting could not reasonably be explained solely by external interference.

One of the alleged defects concerned the presentation of his name on the presidential ballot. Akinboro said that instead of “Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN,” the platform displayed “Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN.”

He further alleged that some voters received their OTPs through email despite revised ECNBA guidelines reportedly providing for SMS-based voter authentication.

The presidential candidate also complained that the photographs of two of the three candidates seeking the NBA presidency were absent from the electronic ballot. According to him, only the photograph of Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, appeared, while his photograph and that of Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe, SAN, were not displayed.

Akinboro questioned whether the alleged ballot defects and authentication issues were consequences of the reported cyberattack or evidence of inadequate preparation and deployment of the electronic voting platform.

Although he had participated in previous NBA electronic elections, the former NBA General Secretary described the 2026 exercise as the most controversial in the Association’s history.

He maintained that the reported problems had strengthened his longstanding case for a comprehensive overhaul of the NBA electoral system, arguing that substantial reforms were necessary to rebuild members’ confidence in future elections.

Akinboro’s rejection adds to the controversy surrounding the poll, which was marked by complaints over its delayed commencement, technical disruptions, voter-authentication difficulties and other alleged irregularities.

The claims contained in his assessment represent his position on the election. No response from the ECNBA to his specific post-election allegations was contained in the material reviewed.