The Nigerian Bar Association has said only its National Executive Council can direct the postponement of the 2026 National Officers’ election, rejecting a document purporting to carry a Sub-Committee report and the comments of the Attorney General of the Federation that called for the election’s postponement and other changes to the electoral process.
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has rejected as unconstitutional and ultra vires a document purporting to be a Sub-Committee report incorporating comments attributed to the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), which the association said had directed the disbandment of its Electoral Committee (ECNBA), the postponement of the 2026 National Officers’ election, and related changes to the election process.
In a press release from the NBA National Secretariat dated 7 July 2026, the association said the purported directives included the termination of the current election service provider, the constitution of a caretaker committee to conduct elections, the incorporation of the National Identification Number (NIN) into voter data, and what the document described as a “recalibration” of the NBA Constitution to remove universal suffrage.
The NBA said only its National Executive Council (NEC) has the constitutional authority to direct a postponement of the election, and that the purported report carried no such standing.
Link to pending litigation
The NBA’s release stated that the directives contained in the purported report mirror the reliefs sought in two pending suits filed under the “Egbe Amofin” description at the Oyo State High Court, which are now the subject of an appeal at the Court of Appeal, Ibadan Division, filed as CA/IB/110/2026: Aham Ejelam SAN & 4 Ors v Ibrahim Lawal & 7 Ors.
The NBA said the AGF is a mediator and party in those suits and, on that basis, could not grant himself the reliefs sought in litigation to which he is party.
Mandate of the Sub-Committee disputed
According to the NBA’s release, a meeting of Past Presidents of the association held on 11 June 2026 mandated a Sub-Committee only to liaise toward the withdrawal of the Egbe Amofin suits. The NBA said the Sub-Committee was not mandated to investigate the NBA President or to make findings against him without fair hearing, and that no attendee of the 11 June meeting has received the purported report or been reconvened to consider it as a resolved document.
The NBA’s release questioned the propriety of Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, chairing any such sub-committee, citing his role as a proponent of the Egbe Amofin cases. The release cited Mohammed v The Nigerian Army (2001) 1 CHR 470 at 491–492 on fair hearing and bias in support of its position.
The NBA said the purported report is unsigned and not on official letterhead of the Attorney General of the Federation, and that no formal communication has been received from the AGF’s office on the matter.
The NBA stated that the 2026 National Officers’ election will proceed as scheduled by the ECNBA. It said it had already assessed and rejected the incorporation of NIN into the election platform on risk-assessment grounds. On the proposal to disqualify the current election service provider for operating as a sole proprietorship, the NBA said this would be discriminatory, noting that many practitioners — including members of the Electoral Committee — operate as sole proprietors.
What happens next
The NBA has not indicated any further internal process arising from the purported report beyond its rejection of the document. The election timetable set by the ECNBA, most recently revised to Saturday, 18 July 2026, stands. The status of the pending appeal at the Court of Appeal, CA/IB/110/2026, is ongoing.
