Candidate for the office of General Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Okey Leo Ohagba, Esq., has raised serious concerns over the conduct of the 2026 NBA National Elections, alleging that widespread technical failures and systemic irregularities undermined the credibility of the electoral process.
In a statement titled “A Note of Appreciation and a Call for Introspection,” Ohagba thanked supporters across the country for their commitment to his campaign and shared vision of an innovative, technology-driven NBA Secretariat. He described the support he received throughout the campaign as a demonstration of lawyers’ desire for institutional excellence and meaningful reform within the Association.
The General Secretary candidate, however, expressed grave concern over what he described as significant failures in the electronic voting process. According to him, prolonged delays in activating the voting portal, unexpected domain changes, authentication challenges, and widespread technical glitches disenfranchised thousands of eligible voters. He disclosed that he was personally unable to cast his own vote despite multiple attempts on different devices, arguing that a system which prevents even candidates from voting cannot be regarded as a level playing field.
Ohagba further questioned the integrity of the voting process, contending that the operational challenges and vote metrics displayed on the platform were inconsistent with the level of support his campaign recorded nationwide. He maintained that an election conducted under such circumstances raises legitimate concerns about transparency, fairness, and the credibility of the eventual outcome.
While urging his supporters to remain calm, peaceful, and law-abiding, Ohagba said his team would review the available technical data and engage relevant stakeholders before taking a formal position on the election. He stressed that preserving the integrity and credibility of the Nigerian Bar Association must take precedence over personal ambition, insisting that leadership should only emerge through a process that commands the confidence of members.
Read full statement below;
STATEMENT ON THE 2026 NBA NATIONAL ELECTIONS: A NOTE OF APPRECIATION AND A CALL FOR INTROSPECTION
– BY OKEY LEO OHAGBA – CANDIDATE FOR GENERAL SECRETARY, NBA.
Distinguished Bar leaders, colleagues and friends,
I am writing to you today with a heart full of profound gratitude. Throughout this intense campaign journey, your overwhelming support, sacrifices, and shared belief in a truly automated and innovative NBA Secretariat have been my greatest strength. To everyone who stayed awake, navigated the electronic voting hurdles, and stood firmly by our vision for a modernized Bar, I say a deep sincere thank you. Your dedication proves that the desire for institutional excellence is very alive within our profession.
However, as a Bar committed to the rule of law and the highest standards of justice, we must look at the events of the last 24 hours with complete honesty and a grave concern. The 2026 national elections particularly the contest for the office of the General Secretary, were marred by substantial systemic irregularities from the outset. The prolonged delay in opening the portal, sudden domain migrations, and widespread authentication glitches, did not merely disenfranchise a vast majority of our colleagues, but also severely undermined the institutional framework required for a transparent exercise.
The structural failure of the platform was so absolute that even I, as a candidate for the office of General Secretary, was completely prevented from casting my own vote, with the system repeatedly displaying an error message, even when I switched devices. When the platform systematically locks out voters, up to and including the candidates themselves, it erases any pretense of a level playing field. This exact challenge unfortunately applied to thousands of other distinguished colleagues across various branches who were similarly denied their constitutional right to vote.
The operational challenges witnessed on the portal suggest structural anomalies that seem to align more with a pre-determined direction than reflecting the authentic, collective will of Nigerian lawyers. Compounding these concerns, the real-time vote metrics being displayed on the platform are highly questionable and completely irreconcilable with the actual overwhelming data of our support base on ground.
An election process that is structurally flawed cannot easily produce a legally sound, or morally legitimate winner for the office of General Secretary. To accept a result generated under such heavily compromised circumstances would be a disservice to the noble tenets of equity, transparency, and fairness that we stand for as ministers in the temple of justice.
For me, the integrity of our noble institution and the credibility of the process must always override personal ambition. Even if the system had declared me the winner, I would not have been proud to celebrate a victory arising from a process that seemed so heavily compromised and fundamentally flawed. A true leader must only assume office on the clear, unvitiated mandate of his colleagues.
While I urge all my supporters to remain peaceful, calm, and professional, we must collectively pause and reconsider the validity of an outcome that does not mirror the transparent standard our constitution demands. We will review the full technical data and engage with relevant stakeholders to take a definitive, formal stand to ensure that the integrity of the Nigerian Bar Association is preserved.
Thank you once again for your unwavering faith and support. God bless the Nigerian Bar Association.
Sincerely,
Okey Leo Ohagba, Esq.
Candidate for the Office of General Secretary, NBA.