NBA Election: Tinubu’s Meddling a Test-run of Rigging 2027 Polls, Atiku Abubakar Says

Presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu of meddling in the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) election, calling it a "test run" for rigging the upcoming 2027 general elections. Abubakar stated that the Tinubu-led administration is employing a strategy of "imposition" and weakening opposition parties to undermine free and fair elections.

“

We are concerned that President Bola Tinubu has brought his state-sponsored toxic politics of coronation to bear on the election of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

In a statement from his media office, Abubakar expressed concern that Tinubu's "state-sponsored toxic politics of coronation" has infiltrated the NBA election. He alleged that the government and its agents are using the courts to force the Bar to accept their preferred candidate, which he described as a dangerous precedent that exacerbates societal divisions.

“

Curiously, this same strategy of imposition without allowing for free, fair and credible elections is what the Tinubu-led APC administration is working assiduously towards in the 2027 General Election.

Abubakar warned officials against seeking a predetermined outcome in the NBA election, urging them to allow the association's Electoral Committee (ECNBA) to organize a democratic process. He asserted that the NBA election is solely the responsibility of the ECNBA, as per the NBA Constitution. The candidate drew parallels between the alleged NBA interference and the administration's supposed playbook for disqualifying opposition candidates through judicial means.

“

What is playing out in the NBA is clearly a confirmation that what Tinubu cannot compromise does not exist.

Meanwhile, the National Association of Judiciary Correspondents (NAJUC) has called for caution and an amicable resolution to the dispute threatening the NBA's national officer elections. NAJUC appealed to elders in the legal profession, including Chief Afe Babalola, SAN, to intervene and prevent the legal profession from falling into disrepute.

“

We wish to sound a note of warning to officials of the Tinubu government who are still desperate in achieving a preconceived result to give the NBA a break to organise a democratic election that will pave the way for a smooth transition of power.