Egbe Amofin O’odua, has appealed to the European Union, the United States of America and the United Kingdom to decline invitations to observe the forthcoming Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) presidential election, insisting that unresolved legal and procedural concerns have undermined confidence in the proposed poll.

In an open letter addressed to the diplomatic missions and dated July 11, the forum said international election observation should not be used to confer legitimacy on an electoral process whose legality and integrity remain the subject of controversy. The letter was jointly signed by the Chairman of Egbe Amofin O’odua, Aare Isiaka Abiola Olagunju, SAN, and its Secretary, Prince Adetunji Osho, SAN.

According to the organisation, while election observation is globally recognised as a tool for promoting transparency and public confidence, the peculiar circumstances surrounding the NBA election require foreign missions to independently verify the legal status of the electoral process before accepting invitations to participate as observers.

Egbe Amofin argued that the proposed election is taking place amid allegations of non-compliance with the NBA Constitution and electoral regulations, warning that participation by respected international observers could inadvertently validate a process whose legal foundation remains disputed.

The forum also questioned the invitation allegedly extended to foreign missions by the NBA President, maintaining that such invitations ought to emanate from the Electoral Committee rather than the President. It further alleged that the NBA President had openly supported one of the presidential candidates, thereby compromising public confidence in the neutrality of the election. These are allegations contained in Egbe Amofin’s letter.

Raising concerns over the electronic voting system proposed for the election, the organisation argued that the physical presence of observers at a monitoring centre would not enable them to meaningfully verify the integrity of the process because they would have no access to backend systems, audit logs, source codes, security architecture or data transmission protocols used in the conduct of the poll.

The letter also expressed concerns about the competence, independence and credibility of the information technology provider engaged for the election, urging the foreign missions to satisfy themselves that the electronic voting platform had undergone a credible and independent security audit capable of inspiring confidence among stakeholders.

Egbe Amofin further referenced the intervention of the Attorney-General of the Federation, who, according to the letter, advised that the election be postponed until August, recommended the engagement of a different technology provider, proposed the use of the National Identification Number (NIN) for voter authentication, and suggested that pending litigation be resolved after the identified concerns had been addressed.

The forum criticised what it described as the NBA President’s rejection of those recommendations and alleged attacks on the Attorney-General following the issuance of the advisory directions. These assertions are presented as claims made by Egbe Amofin in its letter and are not independently verified within the document.

It maintained that respected democratic institutions should avoid participating in any electoral process where substantial legal and procedural issues remain unresolved, urging the European Union, the United States and the United Kingdom to refrain from observing or otherwise associating with the proposed NBA election until all pending legal disputes have been determined, all subsisting court orders complied with, and the electronic voting platform subjected to an independent, transparent and credible audit.

According to the forum, the appeal is aimed at protecting the credibility of international election observation and ensuring that respected foreign institutions are not perceived as endorsing a process whose legality and integrity remain in dispute.