Afam Osigwe, president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), has accused some lawyers and candidates in the association’s national officers’ election of playing politics by alleging that the exercise would be rigged before voting commenced.
Speaking at a press briefing on Friday, hours before the election was scheduled to begin, Osigwe said those making the allegations were attempting to delegitimise the electoral process without evidence.
“It is unfortunate that some lawyers and some candidates have chosen to play fast and loose with the truth and allege rigging even when the process has not commenced,” he said.
The NBA president said lawyers should refrain from making allegations they cannot substantiate, adding that previous election petitions alleging malpractice had been dismissed by the courts.
“It is not in the best practice of the legal profession for any person to state facts which he knows not to be true,” he said.
”If courts have dismissed the matter, if
