An Oyo State High Court in Ibadan has stalled the 2026 Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) national elections by restraining the electoral committee and the association’s president from proceeding with any electoral activities.
An Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan has issued an interim injunction restraining the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) from performing any duties related to the upcoming 2026 national officers’ election. In an ex parte order delivered on March 4, 2026, the presiding judge, G. A. Opayinka, granted the application filed by four lawyers—Ibrahim Lawal, Raymond Oki, Omotan Olusola Ogunmodede, and Gabriel Ojo Adekunle Ijalana—who are challenging the legitimacy of the current electoral framework. The court’s intervention effectively freezes all preparations for the leadership transition until the substantive legal issues are resolved.
The court also took the significant step of barring the NBA President, Afam Osigwe, SAN, from further involvement in the electoral process. According to the ruling, the second defendant is restrained “from taking any steps whatsoever towards the constitution and composition of the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association or from participating in, supervising, influencing, or otherwise interfering in any manner whatsoever with the conduct of the said 2026 NBA National Officers’ Election.” This directive aims to ensure the independence of the process following allegations of interference leveled by the applicants.
Furthermore, the enrolled order specifically targets the leadership of the electoral body, prohibiting them from acting in their official capacities. The court restrained the fifth to ninth defendants from “parading or holding themselves out as the chairman, secretary or members of the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) or from performing, undertaking, or participating in any act, step or process whatsoever in furtherance of the conduct of the 2026 National Officers’ Election of the Nigerian Bar Association.” The case has been adjourned for further proceedings, leaving the bar’s election calendar in a state of uncertainty.
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