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The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Port Harcourt Branch, has indefinitely postponed its branch election following protests by candidates over alleged irregularities in the voters’ register.
The crisis, which disrupted the election scheduled for Friday, prompted a heavy security presence at the NBA House in Port Harcourt, with armed personnel from the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services deployed to the venue.
The Nigerian Bar Association Rivers State Branch election has been postponed after disagreements over the conduct of the exercise disrupted proceedings at the venue. Some lawyers questioned the process, while others called for the election to continue. pic.twitter.com/a09SUmvTA5
— News Central TV (@NewsCentralTV) July 24, 2026
The dispute centred on the publication of the final voters’ register, which some candidates said did not comply with the branch’s bye-laws.
One of the candidates for the position of Social Secretary, Chilezie Oluolu, alleged that the Electoral Committee released the final voters’ list late on Thursday night without giving members adequate notice or briefing them on the election procedures.
He argued that the branch’s bye-laws require the voters’ register to be published at least 14 days before the election to allow members to review it, understand the election guidelines and prepare their agents.
Oluolu said the election notice and the final voters’ register were both issued on the eve of the poll, insisting that candidates were dissatisfied with the process.
“To everyone’s surprise, yesterday night, around 10:45 p.m. to 11 p.m., they published the final voters’ list. Meanwhile, we have never had any conversation as to the modalities for the election, and the bye-laws say that if you’re publishing a final voters’ list, you must give 14 days before the election, within which you would have spoken to members, explained the modalities, and allowed them to bring their agents for the final briefing before we get ready for the election.
“Yet they published it and said the election must hold this morning. The publication announcing the election came out last night, as well as the final voters’ list.
“And we are saying that is not how it should be. We are not satisfied, ”he said.
The disagreement escalated as several candidates staged a walkout in protest.
Although some officials attempted to calm the situation, the Electoral Committee suspended the election indefinitely to prevent a breakdown of law and order.
The committee has yet to announce a new date for the exercise.
Former Chairman of the NBA Port Harcourt Branch, Prince Nyekwere, confirmed the postponement, saying a fresh election date had not been fixed.
