NBA Releases Guidelines for July 27 Elections

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on Thursday in Abuja released guidelines for election into the various elective positions of the association, hinting that it would once again give a shot at e-voting in conducting the election slated for July 27 and 28, 2018.

Chairman of the Election Guideline Committee, Prof. Auwalu Yadudu, while speaking in Abuja, said the association would make conscious effort this time around to conduct a rancour-free election.

The tenure of the current executive led by its National President, Abubakar Mahmud (SAN), is expected to elapse in about three months’ time from now, following which a new executive would be sworn in.

The e-voting system was adopted in electing the present leadership of the Bar, however, some aggrieved candidates approached the court to challenge the outcome of the‎ election.

But Yadudu has promised to conduct a better election this time around.

According to him,‎ the eastern zone is expected to produce the president and the first vice president, while the west would produce the second vice president and the North, general secretary and the third vice president.

The committee said: "Every member who is of financial good standing ‎is eligible to vote. It will be by e-voting. We've tried it before and we are perfecting it. Even if you are out of the country, you can vote. Voting will last for 24 hours.

"We can assure you that we have made efforts to review what happened in the last election and we have taken measures to ensure that what we experienced at the last election does not arise again.

"We are engaging with our branches and we will do a better job this time around. We want this election to be as transparent and secure as possible.

"We have also reached out to our branches to give us clean data of their members. We know the importance of clean data in e-voting, so we are leaving no stone unturned to ensure a hitch-free exercise."