Voting in the 2026 national election of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, has commenced, hours after a delay caused by what the Electoral Committee of the NBA, ECNBA, described as a “coordinated cyberattack” on its e-voting platform.
The election was initially scheduled to begin at 12:00 AM WAT on Saturday.
—ECNBA: “Deliberate, coordinated and sustained cyberattack”—
In a memo to candidates, eligible voters, agents, and observers, the ECNBA apologised for the delay and said the attack was intended “to disrupt, sabotage, and undermine the integrity of the 2026 NBA National Electoral process.”
“The Committee is compelled to report that the ECNBA e-voting platform has been subjected to a deliberate, coordinated, and sustained cyberattack by external actors,” the memo stated.
The committee said its IT cybersecurity team, working with the Election Voting Service Provider, EVSP, activated security protocols and countermeasures to “repel the attack, neutralise the threat, and restore the integrity and availability of the platform.”
—Key advisories to members—
The ECNBA said:
– Voting had not commenced at the time of the memo and no votes were being accepted.
– The portal would reopen “as soon as the system is secured and restored.”
– Members should await further official communication before accessing the portal.
– The only official voting portal is: http://www.ecnbaovs.org.ng . Members were warned to disregard any other link as it “may be instruments of the same malicious campaign.”
– All candidates, agents, and observers were present at the designated monitoring centre, and the process continues under full Committee supervision.
The memo was signed by ECNBA 2026 Chairman, Aham Ejelam, SAN, and Secretary, Ibrahim Aliyu Nassarawa.
The committee also reaffirmed its commitment to delivering “a free, fair, transparent, and credible election, notwithstanding this criminal interference.”
—Voting now underway—
A few hours after the memo was issued, voting had started, according to media reports.
