The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has approved a last-minute switch from email-based voter authentication to SMS verification for more than 80,000 registered voters ahead of its national elections, a decision expected to cost the association millions of naira.
NBA President Afam Osigwe (SAN) announced the move on Friday during a press conference, saying the decision was made in response to concerns raised by some candidates over the proposed email-based one-time passwords (OTPs).
“We have made that concession. It’s going to cost us millions of naira, but we are ready to make that sacrifice,” Osigwe said.
The change means eligible voters will now receive authentication codes via SMS rather than email before casting their ballots.
Osigwe also confirmed the release of the managing director of one of the NBA’s election service providers, who was recently arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS).
He, however, expressed concern that security operatives confiscated a laptop containing election-related information during the arrest.
“We believe 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 anyone accessed the information, it would not compromise the integrity of our electoral process,” he said.
The NBA President also dismissed calls to introduce National Identification Number (NIN) verification for the election, warning that the move could disenfranchise thousands of lawyers.
According to him, many legal practitioners, particularly married women, have names on the Supreme Court Roll that differ from those on the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) database.
“If we use the NIMC database, many members will experience name mismatches and be unable to vote. We cannot support any process that disenfranchises our members,” Osigwe stated.
He maintained that the association’s electoral process remains transparent, secure and credible.
In June 2026, the NBA Electoral Committee announced that the election would use a two-factor authentication system requiring verification through a lawyer’s Supreme Court Number (SCN) and a one-time password sent to registered contact details.
The committee said the framework had undergone technical review, testing and certification before deployment. It also noted that the final voters’ register, containing more than 80,000 verified voters, was frozen on May 27 with the knowledge of all candidates.
The committee argued that integrating NIN verification before the election was impractical because the voters’ database did not contain NIN information and there was insufficient time to collect and validate the data.
The election will determine the successor to Afam Osigwe, who became the NBA’s 32nd President after winning the 2024 election with 20,435 votes.
Three Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) are contesting this year’s presidential election:
- Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro (SAN)
- Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe (SAN)
- Oyinkansola Badejo-Okunsanya (SAN)
The outcome of the poll will determine who leads Nigeria’s largest professional legal body for the next term.
