NBA Suspends Presidential Election After Cyberattack Hits Voting Platform

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has suspended its 2026 presidential election after a cyberattack disrupted its electronic voting platform hours before voting was scheduled to begin on Saturday.

Voting was expected to commence at 12:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 18, but could not proceed after the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) disclosed that the platform came under attack in what it described as an attempt to undermine the electoral process.

In a statement issued in the early hours of Saturday, the ECNBA said the platform suffered a “deliberate, coordinated and sustained cyberattack” shortly before voting was due to begin.

According to the committee, the attack was aimed at disrupting, sabotaging and compromising the integrity of the 2026 NBA national election.

The ECNBA said its cybersecurity experts immediately activated emergency response measures in collaboration with the Election Voting Service Provider (EVSP) to contain the breach and restore the platform.

It explained that efforts were ongoing to neutralise the threat while conducting comprehensive security checks to ensure the voting system remained secure before members are allowed to cast their ballots.

“The system is expected to be fully restored and voting will commence immediately upon restoration,” the committee stated.

The electoral committee stressed that voting had not started before the attack occurred and confirmed that no votes were cast or recorded on the platform.

It assured members that the voting portal would only be reopened after it had been fully secured and certified safe for use.

The ECNBA also urged lawyers nationwide to remain calm and await further official communication, warning them against attempting to access the voting portal until authorised.

It further advised members to rely only on its designated voting portal, www.ecnbaovs.org.ng, warning that unofficial websites or messages could form part of the malicious campaign targeting the election.

Despite the disruption, the committee said the election remained under its supervision, adding that all candidates, their agents and accredited observers were present at the designated monitoring centre where events were being monitored in real time.

The election features three Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) contesting for the NBA presidency: Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro, Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe and Oyinkansola Badejo-Okunsanya.

The latest development comes after months of controversy surrounding the NBA election, which has been dogged by legal disputes, disagreements over zoning arrangements, allegations of bias against the association’s leadership and claims of external interference.

The election process began after the NBA National Executive Council constituted a five-member Electoral Committee chaired by Aham Ejelam (SAN), with Ibrahim Nassarawa serving as secretary.

The presidential seat was zoned to the association’s Western Zone, producing the three SANs as candidates.

The process also faced several legal challenges before polling day.

Earlier this year, an Oyo State High Court restrained the NBA from conducting the election following a suit filed by four lawyers challenging the legitimacy of the electoral process and the composition of the ECNBA.

The dispute intensified after Egbe Amofin O’odua, an association of Yoruba lawyers, insisted that Olumuyiwa Akinboro should emerge as the sole consensus candidate for the Western Zone and sought judicial intervention to enforce the arrangement.

There were also calls for NBA President, Afam Osigwe, to resign after two presidential candidates accused him of failing to remain neutral during the election process.

Former NBA Publicity Secretary, Muritala Abdul-Rasheed, also demanded Osigwe’s resignation over separate allegations, which the NBA president denied.

The election was further embroiled in controversy following reports that the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, allegedly directed that the poll be shifted from July to August.

Osigwe, however, rejected the alleged directive, maintaining that only the NBA National Executive Council has the constitutional authority to alter the election timetable.

Just days before the election, the Court of Appeal in Ibadan cleared the way for the exercise after setting aside an earlier order restraining the NBA from proceeding, ruling that the Oyo State High Court lacked jurisdiction over the matter.

Before Saturday’s disruption, the ECNBA had announced that 82,213 lawyers across 139 NBA branches were eligible to participate in the election.

It also disclosed that the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) would monitor the exercise from a central control room in Abuja.

The ECNBA reiterated its commitment to conducting a credible, transparent and secure election, assuring members that further updates would be communicated through its official channels as efforts continue to restore the voting platform.