The crisis rocking the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) deepened on Wednesday as an Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan ordered a halt to steps being taken toward the conduct of the 2026 National Officers’ Election.

Justice G. A. Opayinka granted an ex parte order restraining members of the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) from parading themselves as officials of the committee or taking any action in furtherance of the forthcoming election pending the hearing of a motion on notice for interlocutory injunction. The matter was adjourned to March 12 for hearing.

The court also restrained the NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, from taking any steps toward the constitution or composition of the ECNBA or participating in supervising, influencing or interfering in any manner with the conduct of the 2026 National Officers’ Election pending further proceedings.

The suit was instituted by four legal practitioners — Ibrahim Lawal, Raymond Oki, Omotan Olusola Ogunmodede and Chief Gabriel Ojo Adekunle Ijalana — who challenged the legitimacy of the electoral process and the role of the NBA leadership in the composition of the electoral body.

The latest order marks the second judicial intervention in the NBA’s electoral process within two weeks. Earlier, on February 24, another judge of the Oyo State High Court had granted an interim injunction restraining the NBA and its agents from recognising, accepting or processing the nomination of any candidate other than the consensus candidate of Egbe Amofin O’odua for the office of NBA President in the forthcoming election.

That earlier order, issued in Suit No. I/205/2026 and involving the Incorporated Trustees of Egbe Amofin O’odua as claimant, effectively froze the presidential nomination process outside the consensus arrangement of the Yoruba lawyers’ body pending determination of an interlocutory application.

With the new ruling halting the operational activities of the ECNBA, observers say the combined effect of both court orders has cast significant uncertainty over the timetable and conduct of the NBA’s 2026 elections.

The development comes against the backdrop of a growing controversy within the Bar over allegations of undisclosed financial disbursements to some members of the association during an official engagement in Maiduguri. The allegations have triggered sharp divisions among lawyers, with some demanding full disclosure and institutional accountability, while others dismiss the claims as politically motivated.

Critics have argued that the alleged selective distribution of funds, reportedly denominated in foreign currency, could violate established NBA policy requiring full disclosure and remittance of gifts received during official engagements.

The controversy intensified further following remarks attributed to the NBA President concerning the integrity of the judiciary — comments some senior lawyers described as sweeping and injudicious.

Widely regarded as one of Africa’s most influential professional bodies, the Nigerian Bar Association now faces what observers describe as one of its most consequential internal crises in recent years.

As the matters return to court in the coming days, stakeholders within the legal profession are watching closely. The outcome is expected to shape not only the trajectory of the 2026 NBA elections but also broader questions about governance, accountability and internal democracy within the association.