Former Judge Supports NIN for Voting in NBA Elections Amid Controversy

A retired judge of the Federal High Court, Taiwo Taiwo, is in favor of using the National Identification Number (NIN) to confirm lawyers eligible to vote in the upcoming elections of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA). He believes this step is important for transparency and to boost trust in the electoral process.

Mr Taiwo, who was the Second Vice President of the NBA before retiring from the bench in 2022, shared his views about the ongoing disputes around the association’s election in a statement on Monday. The election is set to happen electronically on 20 July.

His support for NIN verification during the election aligns with a document that appeared online in early July. This document claimed to contain findings from a sub-committee meant to address some issues related to the NBA elections. It also included directives from the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi.

The document, which NBA President Afam Osigwe has dismissed, suggested postponing the election, disbanding the ECNBA, appointing a caretaker committee, changing the association’s election service provider, introducing NIN verification for voters, and reviewing parts of the NBA Constitution. The NBA, led by Mr Osigwe, has rejected the document completely.

In his statement titled "Let the Truth Be Told! My Take on the Election Crisis That Is Ongoing in the NBA," Mr Taiwo said he had predicted the issues surrounding the NBA’s electoral process. He warned about it during his farewell court session in 2022.

The retired judge, who left the bench on 31 July 2022, explained that he was "shocked but honestly not surprised" by the current problems facing the NBA. He said, "I am disturbed, to say the least, about the discordant tunes concerning the elections to offices in the NBA," adding that doubts about the credibility of the NBA’s elections have existed for years, with past elections ending in court cases brought by unhappy members.

“Many outside the inner circle of the ‘powers’ behind the scene cannot know what goes on. Persons have gone to court on NBA election outcomes in the past. Those who did know why they did,” he emphasized.

To back his views, Mr Taiwo quoted parts of his farewell speech from September 2022. In that speech, he called for major reforms in the NBA’s electoral system. He said, "I belong to the NBA by reason of my profession. I want the best for the association, especially for it to evolve a democratic and transparent way in the election of its officers."

He continued, "I am of the firm view that the election of the President of the NBA ought to transcend a situation where the next President is known before a new one is sworn in.” Mr Taiwo recalled that before the end of the tenure of then-NBA President, Olumide Akpata, he had heard that a certain person was set to be the next president. This led him to question the electoral process's credibility.

“I asked myself how it was possible, knowing fully well that star-gazing or clairvoyance are not courses in law,” he reflected. The retired judge pointed out that his comments showed his worries about the integrity of the NBA’s elections and highlighted the need for reforms.

As part of his suggestions, Mr Taiwo proposed that lawyers should vote electronically from their NBA branches on election day. He said this would improve transparency and maintain the integrity of electronic voting. "I want to propose that on election day, all those interested in voting will go to their various branches physically to vote electronically as being done by INEC. This will ensure transparency in the electoral process in the NBA,” he stated.

He supported using NIN to confirm the lawyers eligible to vote, calling it a step that could strengthen the trustworthiness of the association’s elections. "I therefore, flowing from this extract, support any move or actions to ensure transparency. This means I support the use of NIN by lawyers desirous of voting in the election,” he said.

Mr Taiwo’s comments come at a time of growing tension over the NBA’s 2026 national officers’ election, which is set to be held electronically on 20 July. In 2015, the NBA constitution introduced electronic voting and universal suffrage for the first time, allowing all qualified members to vote in the association’s national officer elections.

This new system aimed to ensure the credibility and legitimacy of the elections, moving away from the old method of voting by delegates at a specific venue. The changes were first used in the 2016 elections and have been in place for all subsequent election cycles.

But since then, each election has faced controversies. The preparations for the 2026 election have been marked by legal battles, claims of bias, and conflicts over the actions of the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA).

These disputes led the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), to hold a stakeholders’ meeting on 11 June to try to resolve the issues. The situation worsened in early July when a document circulated online, claiming to include recommendations from an AGF-led mediation sub-committee. Among other suggestions, it recommended delaying the election, dissolving the ECNBA, appointing a caretaker committee, changing the election service provider, introducing NIN verification for eligible voters, and reviewing parts of the NBA Constitution.

The NBA, however, distanced itself from the document, stating that only its National Executive Council (NEC) has the authority to delay the election. It also pointed out that the Legal Practitioners Act does not allow the attorney general to control the association's affairs, explaining that the mediation committee was only set up to help discuss the withdrawal of ongoing court cases.

In the midst of this controversy, the association invited local and international observers, including the European Union, the United States Embassy, the British High Commission, Yiaga Africa, and the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), to watch the 20 July electronic poll. They said this demonstrates their commitment to a transparent, credible, free, and fair election based on international standards.

Despite this, Mr Taiwo insisted that the NBA, as the main group for legal professionals in Nigeria, should conduct credible elections without needing outside observers. "We do not need any outsider to monitor the election of an association of legal practitioners,” he added.

Mr Taiwo, who was the NBA’s Second Vice President from 2014 to 2015 under Austin Alegeh, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), while the current NBA President, Afam Osigwe, also a SAN, was General Secretary, reaffirmed his loyalty to the association. He mentioned that apart from the NBA and a church-friendly society, he does not belong to any other group or club. He added that the legal profession positions lawyers at the front lines against injustice and unfairness.

Mr Taiwo expressed hope that the NBA would come out stronger through transparent and democratic electoral reforms. "Long live the Nigerian Bar Association,” he concluded.