Abubakar Mahmoud emerges NBA president amidst controversy
Tue Aug 02, 2016 10:20:am Gist
1.6K By sosa hills
Lawyers in Nigeria have elected Mr Abubakar Balarabe Mahmoud (SAN) as President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
Mahmoud was yesterday declared the winner of the 2016 election of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
Mahmoud, a former Attorney General of Kano State polled 3,055 votes to defeat his closest opponent Joe-Kyari Gadzama (SAN) who polled 2, 384 votes.
Other winners include Mr Caleb Gal Dajan, First Vice President; Mr Monday Ubani, Second Vice President and Mr Benedict Oji, Third Vice President, all of whom were returned unopposed.
Mr Isiaka Olagunju polled 2, 721 votes to beat Mr Desmond Yamah who polled 2, 510 votes to become General Secretary of the association, while the post of First Assistant Secretary went to Mr Okey Leo Ohagba who received 2, 402 votes to beat his closest rival, Mr Olukunle Edun who polled 1, 653 votes.
Mr Enebi Mohammed Salihu polled 1, 067 votes to place third.
Other winners are Ugbuji Cecilia Ngede, Second Assistant Secretary; Ado Aisha Abdullahi, Treasurer; Adesina Adegbite, Welfare Secretary; Ngozi Udodi, Financial Secretary; Dorcas Ngwu, Assistant Financial Secretary; Chuwuemeka Mbamala, Assistant Publicity Secretary, and Oyeyemi Rafiu Balogun, Legal Adviser.
Meanwhile, supporters of Gadzama and Mahmoud engaged themselves in a fierce war of words over allegations of plans to rig the elections.
"President's actions and utterances at several fora and on national television whereby he openly canvassed support for his preferred candidate, vilified and cast aspersions on the other dampened confidence of objective minded lawyers to repose confidence in the ability his appointed ECNBA
(Electoral Committee of Nigerian Bar Association) to deliver free, fair and credible elections," said Maxwell Gidado, on behalf of the Think Tank, J-K Gadzama SAN Campaign Organization.
The group, while calling for a shift in the election date, alleged that many members of the NBA who had met the basic requirements for voting did not have their names captured in the Voters Register.
"There are also instances of multiple registrations; names appearing in multiple branches; names of persons appearing in branches whose chairmen have disavowed, etc," Mr. Gidado, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, continued.
"It is alarming that as at today when the election is just two days away, the final Voters Register is not yet ready. This is in breach of Article 2.3 (d) of the Second Schedule to the NBA Constitution 2015 which provides that:
The full list of all legal practitioners qualified to vote shall be published by ECNBA in conjunction with the National Secretariat of the NBA at least twenty eight (28) days before the date of the election.'"
Mahmoud was yesterday declared the winner of the 2016 election of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
Mahmoud, a former Attorney General of Kano State polled 3,055 votes to defeat his closest opponent Joe-Kyari Gadzama (SAN) who polled 2, 384 votes.
Other winners include Mr Caleb Gal Dajan, First Vice President; Mr Monday Ubani, Second Vice President and Mr Benedict Oji, Third Vice President, all of whom were returned unopposed.
Mr Isiaka Olagunju polled 2, 721 votes to beat Mr Desmond Yamah who polled 2, 510 votes to become General Secretary of the association, while the post of First Assistant Secretary went to Mr Okey Leo Ohagba who received 2, 402 votes to beat his closest rival, Mr Olukunle Edun who polled 1, 653 votes.
Mr Enebi Mohammed Salihu polled 1, 067 votes to place third.
Other winners are Ugbuji Cecilia Ngede, Second Assistant Secretary; Ado Aisha Abdullahi, Treasurer; Adesina Adegbite, Welfare Secretary; Ngozi Udodi, Financial Secretary; Dorcas Ngwu, Assistant Financial Secretary; Chuwuemeka Mbamala, Assistant Publicity Secretary, and Oyeyemi Rafiu Balogun, Legal Adviser.
Meanwhile, supporters of Gadzama and Mahmoud engaged themselves in a fierce war of words over allegations of plans to rig the elections.
"President's actions and utterances at several fora and on national television whereby he openly canvassed support for his preferred candidate, vilified and cast aspersions on the other dampened confidence of objective minded lawyers to repose confidence in the ability his appointed ECNBA
(Electoral Committee of Nigerian Bar Association) to deliver free, fair and credible elections," said Maxwell Gidado, on behalf of the Think Tank, J-K Gadzama SAN Campaign Organization.
The group, while calling for a shift in the election date, alleged that many members of the NBA who had met the basic requirements for voting did not have their names captured in the Voters Register.
"There are also instances of multiple registrations; names appearing in multiple branches; names of persons appearing in branches whose chairmen have disavowed, etc," Mr. Gidado, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, continued.
"It is alarming that as at today when the election is just two days away, the final Voters Register is not yet ready. This is in breach of Article 2.3 (d) of the Second Schedule to the NBA Constitution 2015 which provides that:
The full list of all legal practitioners qualified to vote shall be published by ECNBA in conjunction with the National Secretariat of the NBA at least twenty eight (28) days before the date of the election.'"
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