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The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has disclosed that it has earmarked additional “millions of naira” for SMS verification for over 80,000 registered voters ahead of its elections, following demands from some quarters.
NBA President, Afam Osigwe, SAN, disclosed this on Friday during a press conference attended by Nairametrics.
The NBA president also disclosed that the managing director of one of its election service providers, who was arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS), has been released.
What the NBA president is saying
Osigwe disclosed that the NBA has agreed to the demands of some candidates to discontinue its proposed email-based one-time passwords (OTPs).
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He highlighted that the association has now opted for SMS verification despite the additional financial cost.
- “We have made that concession… it’s going to cost us millions of naira… But we are ready to make that sacrifice,” he said.
Reacting to the arrest and subsequent release of the managing director of one of its engaged service providers, Osigwe expressed concern, noting that a laptop containing election-related data was seized.
- “We believe that the arrest was targeted at our election.
- “There was data related to our election on that laptop. And we are taking steps to ensure that if any person had access to that information, it would not in any way affect or compromise the integrity of our electoral process,” he added.
Also reacting to calls for the adoption of National Identification Number (NIN) verification during voting, Osigwe said the proposal would disenfranchise many lawyers, especially married women whose names on the Supreme Court Roll differ from those on the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) database.
- “If we are to use that NIMC database, they will have a name mismatch, and they will be unable to vote. And we cannot support any system or process that will disenfranchise our members,” he said.
The NBA president maintained that the electoral process and the polls remains free and fair.
Backstory
Recall that in June 2026, the Electoral Committee of the NBA issued a notice stating that the current voter authentication framework for the 2026 NBA National Elections employs a two-factor authentication model comprising Supreme Court Number (SCN) verification and one-time password (OTP) delivery to voters’ registered contact details.
The committee stated that the framework was adopted following a thorough technical review in conformity with established security standards.
It further noted that the innovation had been integrated, tested, and certified for deployment, while the final voters’ register was compiled, verified, and frozen on May 27, 2026, with the knowledge of all stakeholders, including the candidates, and contains over 80,000 registered voters.
The committee also maintained that collecting and integrating NIN data for more than 80,000 registered voters before Election Day was not operationally feasible, adding that the captured data does not contain the NIN of any registered voter.
What you should know
Afam Osigwe won the NBA presidential election in 2024.
Mr. Osigwe, whose legal career spans 27 years since he was called to the Bar in 1999, became the 32nd NBA president after the outgoing president, Yakubu Maikyau, completed his two-year tenure in August 2024.
Mr. Osigwe, a former General Secretary of the NBA from 2014 to 2016, secured 20,435 votes—more than half of the total ballots cast for the presidential position—to defeat his two rivals.
Tobenna Ikwuazom came a distant second with 10,998 votes, while another Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chukwuka Ikuazom, who withdrew from the race midway through the election, came third with 9,018 votes.
For tomorrow’s poll, three Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) are contesting to succeed Osigwe.
They are:Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN, Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe, SAN, Oyinkansola Badejo-Okunsanya, SAN.
