Breaking: NBA Floors Egbe Amofin O’odua as Appeal Court Quashes Egbe Amofin’s Attempt to Hijack 2026 Election Process
The Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan has reportedly set aside the orders of the Oyo State High Court which had affected preparations for the 2026 Nigerian Bar Association National Officers’ Election.
The appellate court upheld the appeal filed by the Nigerian Bar Association and the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association, holding that the suit and proceedings before the Oyo State High Court, including the ex parte orders made against the NBA and ECNBA, were a nullity.
According to the decision, the Oyo State High Court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter on all fronts, including subject matter, personal and territorial jurisdiction.
The ruling effectively removes the legal obstacle created by the Oyo High Court proceedings and clears the way for the 2026 NBA National Officers’ Election to proceed under the supervision of the ECNBA.
The appeal arose from earlier orders of the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan which had created uncertainty around the NBA election process.
In one of the matters, Suit No. I/205/2026, filed by the Incorporated Trustees of Egbe Amofin O’odua, the High Court had granted an interim injunction restraining the NBA from recognising, accepting or processing the nomination of any candidate other than the consensus candidate presented by Egbe Amofin O’odua for the office of NBA President.
The order was reportedly made on February 24, 2026, by Justice Y.S. Adekunle, pending the hearing of the motion on notice.
The dispute was linked to the position of Egbe Amofin O’odua that the NBA presidency for 2026, being zoned to the Western Zone, should be occupied by its preferred consensus candidate.
In another matter, Suit No. I/221/2026, Justice G.A. Opayinka of the Oyo State High Court had reportedly restrained members of the ECNBA from parading themselves as members of the electoral committee or taking steps towards the conduct of the 2026 NBA National Officers’ Election.
The order also restrained the NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, from taking steps relating to the constitution of the electoral committee or interfering with the election process.
The applicants in that suit were identified as Ibrahim Lawal, Raymond Oki, Omotan Olusola Ogunmodede and Chief Gabriel Ojo Adekunle Ijalana.
The defendants included the NBA President, the Incorporated Trustees of the NBA, the Body of Benchers, the Attorney-General of the Federation in his capacity as Chairman of the General Council of the Bar, and members of the ECNBA.
The Oyo High Court orders had become part of the legal battles surrounding the 2026 NBA election, which had already generated disputes over zoning, consensus arrangements, allegations of bias, the role of the ECNBA and concerns over the credibility of the electoral process.
Online reports had identified the leading presidential aspirants as Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN; Oyinkansola Badejo-Okunsanya, SAN; and Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe, SAN.
The election is expected to produce a successor to the current NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN.
The NBA presidency was zoned to the Western Zone, comprising Lagos, Ondo, Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Ekiti, Edo and Delta States.
However, disagreement over whether the consensus arrangement of Egbe Amofin O’odua should bind the NBA electoral process led to litigation and intensified debate within the Bar.
The ECNBA, chaired by Aham Ejelam, SAN, had been approved at the NBA National Executive Council meeting held in Edo State on November 20, 2025, to conduct the 2026 elections.
Other members of the committee were reportedly listed as Ibrahim Aliyu Nasarawa as Secretary, Muhammad M. Nuhu, Uju Okafor and Ume Maduka.
The NBA Constitution vests the conduct of national elections in the ECNBA, while the Association’s national elections are conducted through universal suffrage and electronic voting for eligible lawyers who have paid their practising fees and branch dues.
By holding that the Oyo State High Court lacked jurisdiction and that the proceedings were a nullity, the Court of Appeal has effectively erased the legal foundation of the orders that restrained the NBA, its President and the ECNBA.
The decision is expected to strengthen the position of the NBA and ECNBA that the election process should proceed in accordance with the NBA Constitution, election guidelines and the timetable issued for the 2026 poll.
It also marks a major turning point in the legal battle surrounding the election, as the appellate court’s decision has neutralised the Oyo High Court orders which had threatened the election timetable and the authority of the ECNBA to conduct the poll.
