The Nigerian Bar Association on Tuesday declared that an electronic voting system will be used for its 2024 election.
The NBA said the decision to opt for e-voting is to allow members of the association to participate in the election seamlessly from their different locations.
The association’s Electoral Committee, led by Oluseun Abimbola (SAN), disclosed this during the opening of the nomination forms in Abuja on Tuesday.
BAR & BENCH WATCH reports the NBA election is scheduled for July 20, 2024, and all registered members from branches across the country are expected to participate.
The committee is expected to shortlist the names of successful respondents by April 20, 2024.
Speaking, Abimbola stated that the committee would ensure the process is transparent.
Abimbola said, “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.
“We will soon issue guidelines that will govern every stage of the process. We have issued some guidelines already, and we will issue more as we progress. ”
When asked if members would be able to view the results in real-time, Abimbola said the candidates and their representatives would be granted access to the system’s backend.
He said, “We understand that NBA has 120 branches across the country, and if we calculate the members of the association, we should be looking at over 150,000.
“The essence of having this engagement is that the candidates are fully represented. I can assure you that at that stage of the process, the necessary verifications will be done by the candidates and their representatives.
“We are ensuring that all necessary steps are taken to guarantee that the technical support for the election will be watertight. We are going to do everything transparently. We assure the candidates and their representatives that the election will be credible.
“Those who need to have access to the front and backend will have it. We can’t expect the entire NBA to have access to the backend. That will cause a security risk. Those who need to have it will do so.”
Abimbola, however, said over 50 forms had been submitted to the committee as of Monday.
He said, “We have had 50 submissions so far for all the positions in the association. After opening the forms, you will then be able to know who is applying for what.”
