NBA 2026: ECNBA migrates voting to new ‘secure’ portal after 7-hour tech delay
The Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) has officially commenced voting for the 2026 NBA national officers’ election following an unexpected seven-hour delay.
In a statement released early Saturday morning, the committee apologized to lawyers across the country for the hitch, confirming that the virtual ballot boxes finally opened at 7:35 a.m. WAT on July 18, 2026.
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The elections were originally scheduled to kick off at the stroke of midnight (12:00 a.m. WAT).
Voting window extended
To ensure that no eligible voter is disenfranchised due to the late start, the ECNBA announced that the voting window has been adjusted to run for exactly 24 hours from the new kickoff time.
”Voting commenced at 7:35 a.m. today, Saturday, 18 July 2026, and will remain open for 24 hours from the exact time of commencement,” the statement signed by ECNBA Chairman, Aham Ejelam, SAN, and Secretary, Ibrahim Aliyu Nassarawa, Esq., read.
Consequently, legal practitioners will have until 7:35 a.m. on Sunday, July 19, 2026, to cast their electronic ballots.
Portal migrated for “heightened security”
Amid growing scrutiny over the integrity of electronic voting systems in the legal body, the ECNBA revealed that the delay was tied to crucial cybersecurity adjustments.
According to the committee, the voting portal was migrated to an entirely new, secured domain just before launch as part of “heightened security measures introduced to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process.”
To prevent phishing attempts and unauthorized interference, the ECNBA strictly warned members to use only the newly authorized link and to treat any other voting platforms as fraudulent.
The official and only valid voting portal is: https://ecnba.org.ng/vote/ecnba-ovs-main/
While acknowledging the anxiety the initial delay may have caused among the various camps, the electoral umpire expressed its gratitude to stakeholders for their resilience.
The committee thanked all candidates, polling agents, ICT consultants, independent observers, and eligible voters for their patience and understanding, while reaffirming its unwavering commitment to delivering a “free, fair, and credible electoral process.”
The ECNBA added that further updates regarding the progress of the election will be communicated promptly through its official channels as the day unfolds.
