Falana (SAN) has called on the Chairman of the
Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Electoral Committee,
Okey Amechi (SAN), to publish the voters' register
compiled for this year's election.
The election is scheduled to hold tomorrow in Abuja.
Falana said he had very strong reasons to suspect
that the register may contain fictitious names,
including the names of dead lawyers, as was the case
during the 2012 election of the Bar.
Falana warned that if the oters' register was not
published before the day of the election, he would
not hesitate "to approach the appropriate High Court
to stop the manipulation of the electoral process by
the NBA leadership".
He added: "Lawyers cannot afford to fix election
results as they are entrusted with the responsibility
of filing and defending election petitions in the
country".
Falana, who was once president of the West African
Bar Association, stated that to ensure transparency
in this year's NBA poll, he was compelled, last week,
to apply for a copy of the voters' register under the
Freedom of Information Act, 2011.
He said he was assured that the register would be
published ahead of the election "but for some
inexplicable reasons, the NBA Electoral Committee
has refused to publish the voters register 48 hours to
the election".
The lawyer alleged that "with the connivance of the
leadership of the NBA, those lawyers were allowed to
vote from the grave! Even though the credibility of
the election was called to question, those who were
genuinely dissatisfied with the fraudulent results
were advised to allow sleeping dogs to lie".
Falana said: "I have drawn the attention of the
Secretary of the NBA Electoral Committee to the
evidence at my disposal that the voters' register
compiled for the election contains the names of
many lawyers who are not qualified to vote. For
instance, some concerned members of the NBA have
reliably informed me that the list of the 47 delegates
representing the Abuja branch of the NBA was
compiled in utter breach of the Constitution of the
NBA.
"I have equally confirmed that the list of co-opted
members of the National Executive Committee of the
NBA contains 135 names, contrary to the clear
provisions of the NBA Constitution.
"In a similar situation in August 1992, I had cause to
obtain a court order to stop the NBA election when I
discovered that the then military junta had
concluded plans to hijack the electoral process with a
view to installing and imposing its stooges as leaders
of the Bar.
"It is hoped that history will not be allowed to repeat
itself by the NBA Electoral Committee".
Sent From David Aniemeka
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