DSS, Police Invade NBA House as Election Crisis Deepens Over Alleged Rigging Plan
By Passman Akpos
Port Harcourt, Rivers State – Tension engulfed the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Port Harcourt Branch, on Friday as aggrieved lawyers staged a protest over alleged attempts by the branch’s Electoral Committee (ELECO) to manipulate the ongoing branch election.
The protesting lawyers accused the Electoral Committee of planning to rig the election in favour of preferred candidates and vowed to resist any attempt to undermine the integrity, credibility and transparency of the electoral process.
The protest erupted as members gathered at the NBA House in Port Harcourt for the election, with the aggrieved lawyers insisting that the Electoral Committee had failed to comply with the branch’s bye-laws by refusing to publish the voters’ register before the commencement of voting.
According to the protesters, making the voters’ register available to members is a mandatory requirement designed to ensure transparency and credibility during the election process.
A video circulating online showed dozens of lawyers gathered outside the NBA House, chanting solidarity songs and demanding strict compliance with the association’s electoral guidelines.
The footage also captured rival factions confronting one another through chants, with one group insisting the election should proceed as scheduled, while another called for its immediate suspension until the Electoral Committee published the voters’ register in accordance with the branch’s regulations.
The disagreement created a charged atmosphere at the venue as lawyers openly exchanged slogans in support of their respective positions.The aggrieved lawyers maintained that conducting the election without first publishing the voters’ register would amount to a violation of the branch’s bye-laws and could cast serious doubt on the legitimacy of the election outcome.
They further warned against what they described as attempts to impose a predetermined result through what they termed an opaque electoral process, stressing that they would resist any move capable of compromising the credibility of the election.
As tensions heightened, security was reinforced around the NBA House, with personnel of the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS) deployed to the venue to maintain law and order and prevent any breakdown of peace.
As of the time of filing this report, the Electoral Committee had not publicly responded to the allegations raised by the protesting lawyers, while the outcome of the election remained uncertain.
