By Samuel Olusegun Precious
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Port Harcourt Branch, has suspended its branch executive elections scheduled for Saturday following widespread protests by aggrieved candidates and lawyers over alleged electoral irregularities.
Pandemonium broke out at the election venue as protesting lawyers stormed the premises, accusing members of the Electoral Committee of compromising the integrity of the process and attempting to rig the vote.
The aggrieved members raised serious allegations against the committee, citing a heavily doctored voter roll and systemic bias:
Ineligible Voters List: Protesters alleged that the Electoral Committee compiled a fictitious voter register containing ineligible members who failed to meet the constitutional criteria to vote.
Allegations of Committee Bias: Speaking to reporters, one of the candidates, Chigozi Gerald, accused the Electoral Committee of compromising its neutrality to favor specific candidates.
Demands for Resignation: Chanting solidarity songs and displaying placards, the legal practitioners demanded the immediate resignation of the Electoral Committee Chairman, Idris Abayomi.
In a swift rebuttal, Donald Jack, speaking on behalf of the Electoral Committee, dismissed the allegations as baseless and unfounded.
Jack denied any bias on the part of the panel and insisted that the voter register was meticulously vetted, maintaining that every individual included on the list fully met the statutory criteria to participate in the election.
Following the disruption and growing tensions, the branch leadership moved to suspend the exercise to avert a total breakdown of order.
The executive leadership of the NBA Port Harcourt Branch is expected to review the voter list, investigate the allegations against the electoral panel, and address the candidates’ grievances before announcing a new date for the poll.
