LOAN petitions NBA national president over Kano branch election
The Law Officers Association of Nigeria (LOAN), Kano State branch, has petitioned the NBA national president over the just-concluded Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Kano Branch elections, according to a report by JusticeWatchNews.
The association is protesting what it termed “deliberate disobedience” of a zonal appeal directive by the branch’s electoral umpire.
In a petition JusticeWatchNews said was given to it by LOAN officials obtained on Tuesday, LOAN accused the Kano Branch Election Committee (ELCOM) of disenfranchising its members during the polls despite a clear directive from the NBA Branch Elections Appeals Committee (Northern Zone).
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The friction began prior to the elections when the Kano Branch ELCOM disqualified 15 LOAN members from voting.
ELCOM’s justification was that some of the affected lawyers had failed to pay either their branch subscription dues, their branch welfare dues or even both for the mandatory two-year period.
Dissatisfied with the disqualification, LOAN took the matter to the Northern Zone Appeals Committee. On June 15, 2026, the appellate body—chaired by Abdul Atadoga Ibrahim, SAN, with Gloria Okoduwa serving as Secretary—ruled in favor of the law officers, stating, “The appellant cannot be disqualified to vote due to welfare dues.”
The Appeal Committee did not give any reason for its verdict nor did it refer to any authority in arriving at the verdict. It was also silent on those who did not pay their branch subscription dues.
The appellate committee subsequently directed ELCOM to immediately update the voters’ list to include the omitted names.
According to the petition, which was signed by LOAN Kano branch chairman, Abdullah Aminu Shams, and secretary, Safiya Yalwati Yahaya, ELCOM acknowledged receiving the appellate judgment but actively chose to ignore it.
The petition states that ELCOM “deliberately declined to implement the directive, refused to include our members on the voters’ register, denied them accreditation, and prevented them from voting.”
LOAN argued that ignoring the directive “amounts to a blatant disregard of the authority of a duly constituted appellate body established under the NBA electoral framework,” warning that such actions threaten the democratic foundations and integrity of the entire bar association.
LOAN is now calling on the NBA National President to step in and save the situation. The association’s demands include formal investigation into the conduct of the Kano ELCOM; an official declaration that the exclusion of its members was unlawful; disciplinary actions against the electoral officials and a legal determination on whether the disenfranchisement nullifies the validity of the concluded election.
The petition has already been copied to the Chairman of the NBA Branch Elections Appeals Committee (North) and the Chairman of the NBA Kano Branch, Justice Watch reported
ELCOM reacts
When reached by JusticeWatchNews for comments regarding the petition, the secretary of the Kano ELCOM, Yusuf Abdulsalam, dismissed the outcry using a classic Latin legal maxim.
”Non cuilibet de vulgo respondemus,” Abdulsalam stated, which loosely translates to “We do not reply to just anyone from the crowd.”
He added, “We are lawyers here and we behave with decorum. This is an appeal, and we shall respond to it if we are officially served with it by the Appeal Committee. We have procedure for everything. It’s a profession of organized people.”
