NBA Nyanya-Karu Branch Elections: Members Decry Intimidation Over Electoral Dispute.

🚨 NBA Nyanya-Karu Branch Elections: Members Decry Intimidation Over Electoral Dispute 🚨

In a disturbing twist following the recent call for transparency and fairness in the ongoing electoral process within the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Nyanya-Karu Branch, credible reports have emerged of attempts to intimidate members who exercised their right to peaceful and collective dissent.

On the 13th of June, 2025, over fifty (50) members of the NBA Nyanya-Karu Branch, in a statement led by Peter Sunday Umoru and other concerned members, jointly signed a petition to the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) and the Appeals Committee. The petition demanded a review of the list of cleared candidates for the forthcoming elections, citing irregularities and perceived bias in the screening process.

This bold and collective action represents the strength of our democratic ideals and the value the legal profession places on integrity, due process, and internal accountability.

However, in a troubling and undemocratic turn of events, it has come to our attention that Collins Marshall, a current member of the Electoral Committee, and Simon C. John have allegedly been placing calls to signatories of the petition, pressuring them to issue personal disclaimers on their participation in the collective statement.

Such actions amount to coordinated intimidation and are nothing short of a brazen attempt to undermine the collective voice of the branch members, and by extension, the principles of fairness and justice the NBA ought to stand for.

Let it be unequivocally stated: the rights of members to speak out, associate, and petition for redress are protected by both the Nigerian Bar Association Constitution and the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Attempts to isolate and coerce individuals to withdraw from a unified position are not only unethical—they are legally and morally reprehensible.

We hereby call on the ECNBA, the NBA leadership, and all well-meaning stakeholders to take urgent steps to investigate these allegations of intimidation and protect the integrity of the electoral process. If indeed members of the electoral committee are involved in silencing dissent, such conduct warrants immediate disqualification and disciplinary action.

The NBA cannot preach justice externally while failing to uphold it internally.

This is a clarion call to all lawyers, especially those within the Nyanya-Karu Branch, to remain vigilant, united, and courageous in the face of tyranny masquerading as procedure. Our silence in the face of injustice today will cost us the credibility of our institution tomorrow.

#JusticeWithin

#NBAElections2025

#NyanyaKaruSpeaks

#DefendDueProcess

#LawyersForDemocracy

#WeSignedTogether