The Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) has opened nomination envelopes for the association’s upcoming elections.

All the members of the ECNBA were in attendance together with a number of invited guests, including the prospective candidates or their authorised representatives, lawyers, observers and pressmen, who witnessed the event, which took place on Monday, April 15th, at the ECNBA Secretariat located at No. 9 Oro Ago Crescent, Garki, Abuja.

The proceedings commenced at about 11:45 am with the NBA prayer led by a member of the Committee Enobong Bassey Akpan, Esq., followed by remarks from the Chairman of the ECNBA, Oluseun Abimbola, SAN.

Abimbola stressed that the procedure adopted for the opening was to unseal and bring out documents in no particular order, mention the name of the applicant, then go through the contents of the envelope and mark it against a checklist. Once that is done, the envelopes, along with the processed checklist, are repacked and set aside for screening at a later date.

He emphasised that the exercise is just to open the submissions and not to screen candidates

Speaking to journalists, Abimbola, SAN revealed that the ECNBA’s strategy for the upcoming election of national officers, slated for July, was the adoption of electronic voting for enhanced accessibility and transparency. He said that the initiative was aimed at enabling members to participate from various locations.

“Our voting system is electronic so that members can vote from their respective locations. Secondly, I can assure you that all we are doing is transparent for members to be able to verify,” stated Mr. Abimbola, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

The electronic voting system, first introduced by the NBA in 2016 and subsequently used in elections in 2018, 2020, and 2022, seeks to engage all registered members across the association’s branches in the electoral process.

To ensure transparency, the committee plans to issue comprehensive guidelines governing the entire process, with deadlines set for shortlisting successful respondents by April 20.

Candidates and their representatives will have access to the system’s backend, allowing for real-time result accessibility and thorough verification at each stage of the process.

Mr. Abimbola reiterated the committee’s commitment to maintaining a secure technical framework, emphasizing transparency and credibility. However, he noted that access to the backend would be restricted to those requiring it due to security risks.

As of Monday, the committee had received over 50 submissions for all association positions, with the opening of forms providing clarity on candidates and their respective positions.

The NBA’s move towards electronic voting aims to address past concerns about the credibility of the electoral process, ensuring broader participation and accountability among members.

Following the briefing, the formal opening of the received nominations took place. This was conducted by another member of the committee, Abdullahi Yahya, SAN.

This pivotal event marks a significant milestone in the NBA election process, setting the stage for the forthcoming elections and allowing for transparency and accountability in the nomination process.

PHOTOS SPEAK>>>>>>>>>