By Our Reporter
ABUJA (PRECISE POST) – Human rights lawyer and public affairs commentator Chidi Odinkalu has raised concerns over what he described as attempts by powerful interests to influence the forthcoming presidential election of the Nigerian Bar Association, warning that such moves could undermine the association’s constitutional and democratic processes.
The NBA is expected to elect its 33rd President next month, with three Senior Advocates of Nigeria contesting for the office: Omoyemi Akangbe, Muyiwa Akinboro and Boboye B. Oki.
Odinkalu explained that the NBA presidency is traditionally rotated among Nigeria’s three major regions as they existed at independence—East, North and West.
According to him, this year’s presidency is zoned to the Western Region, comprising the South-West states and the informal Midwest Bar made up of Edo and Delta states.
He noted that while the Midwest Bar did not present a candidate for the election, the Egbe Amofin Oodua had endorsed Akinboro as its preferred candidate.
According to Odinkalu, the association went further by seeking to have other candidates excluded from the race to enable Akinboro emerge unopposed, a move he argued would be unfair to lawyers outside the group and contrary to the NBA’s constitutional arrangements.
He also alleged that the group approached the High Court in Ibadan, Oyo State, seeking an order to halt the NBA electoral process until its demands were met, adding that the case has since stalled.
The former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission Governing Council further claimed that influential interests were threatening to pressure the Attorney-General of the Federation to “nationalise” the NBA and appoint a sole administrator if the election did not produce their preferred outcome.
Odinkalu, however, dismissed the possibility, insisting that the NBA is a non-governmental organisation and that no legal framework exists for such an intervention.
He attributed the controversy to resistance against the association’s One Lawyer, One Vote (OLOV) electoral system, warning that one of the presidential candidates intends to abolish the voting model if elected.
Calling on younger lawyers to actively participate in the election, Odinkalu urged them to consider the implications of any attempt to reverse the OLOV system.
He also highlighted the historic significance of the election, noting that for the first time since 2006, a woman, Boboye B. Oki, is a strong contender with a realistic chance of becoming the first woman to be directly elected NBA President and only the second female president in the association’s history.
Odinkalu concluded by urging lawyers to embrace the opportunity to make history through their votes while safeguarding the integrity and democratic traditions of the NBA.
