A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Mr. Yakubu Maikyau, has emerged as the new President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA.
Maikyau, the 31st President, polled 22, 342 votes to defeat his major contender, Chief Joe Kyari Gadzama, SAN, who got 10, 842 votes out of a total of 34, 564 vote cast.
The 3rd contender for the NBA top position, Mr. Taidi Gunu, got 1, 380 votes.
Other national officers of the NBA that emerged from the election that commenced by 12am on Saturday, July 16, and ended by 12pm, are: Mrs Linda Bala as 1st Vice President of the association, Mr. Clement Ugo as 2nd Vice President and Mrs. Amanda Demechi-Asagba as the 3rd Vice President.
Others includes Mr. Adesina Adegbite as General Secretary, Mr Daniel Kip Ka-Ayli as Assistant General Secretary, Ms. Chinyere Obasi as National Welfare Secretary, Mr Habeeb Lawal as National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olawole Ajiboye as Assistant Publicity Secretary and Anze-Bishop Ladidi as the Treasurer.
Announcing the election results Chairman of the Electoral Committee of the NBA, Mr Ayodele Akintunde, SAN, disclosed that out of a total of 59, 392 records of eligible voters from the NBA database, 59, 388 records were cleared to vote.
Akintunde added that while 1, 346 emails that were sent out to some of the eligible voters bounced back, only 34, 809 lawyers, representing 58. 61% of the membership strength of the association, participated in the election that was conducted electronically.
He noted that some of the common complaints the committee received, includes, the inability of some lawyers to correctly input their Supreme Court Number, SCN, as instructed, invalid contact information, lack of voting links, as well as multiple email reminders.
Speaking on his victory, the newly elected President of the NBA, Mr Yakubu Maikyau, SAN, thanked God for his victory and urged all those that contested the election and lost, to join hands with his team to move the association forward.
Maikyau, SAN, commended the outgoing President of the NBA, Mr. Olumide Akpata, SAN, for his efforts to reposition the association.
He called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to understudy the technology-driven electoral system of the NBA.
He said there was need for INEC to leaverage on technology in such a way that electorates across the federation could cast their votes from the comfort of their homes, as was done by the NBA in its election he described as free, fair and credible.
Also speaking, the outgoing President of the NBA, Mr. Olumide Akpata, SAN, commended members of the NBA electoral committee and urged those who lost at the poll to accept the results in good faith and join hands to move NBA forward.
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