NBA President denies rigging claims, insists poll independen

President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe, on Friday dismissed allegations that he was attempting to rig or interfere in the association’s national officers’ election, insisting that the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association operated independently and took no instructions from him.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, Osigwe said allegations that he was backing a preferred candidate were politically motivated and unsupported by any evidence.

“I am as committed as every person to see that we have a free and fair and transparent election. So that whoever loses, we know that he or she lost. And whoever wins, we know that he or she deserves to win.”

His remarks came against the backdrop of weeks of controversy over the July 18 NBA election, during which some presidential candidates and stakeholders questioned the integrity of the process, called for the election to be postponed, demanded the use of National Identification Number verification, and accused the NBA leadership of attempting to influence the outcome.

The association consistently denied the allegations, maintaining that only the Electoral Committee was constitutionally empowered to conduct the election.

According to the President, critics had repeatedly alleged that NBA elections were routinely manipulated despite failing to prove those claims in court.

“I hear people say things like everybody knows the NBA election has always been rigged. All the elections that were challenged in court were dismissed.

“If courts have dismissed their matter, if you have alleged rigging and you could not prove it and the court dismisses it, then there was no rigging in law,” he said.

Osigwe also rejected suggestions that his personal voting preference could affect the election, noting that he was not involved in administering…