The Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) has announced an indefinite delay in the commencement of voting for the 2026 NBA National Elections, originally scheduled to begin at 12:00 a.m. West Africa Time (WAT) on Saturday, July 18, 2026.
​The postponement follows what the ECNBA described as a deliberate, coordinated, and sustained cyberattack by external actors targeting its electronic voting platform.
​In an official statement co-signed by the ECNBA Chairman, Aham Ejelam, SAN, and the Secretary, Ibrahim Aliyu Nassarawa, Esq., issued from the NBA House in Garki, Abuja, the committee apologized to all candidates, eligible voters, agents, consultants, and observers for the sudden disruption. The committee characterized the breach as a direct and calculated assault on the ECNBA’s technical infrastructure, explicitly designed to sabotage and undermine the integrity of the 2026 electoral process.
​According to the ECNBA, the committee’s IT cybersecurity team, in collaboration with the appointed Electronic Voting Service Provider (EVSP), Mikrodigital Connect, immediately activated security protocols and countermeasures to repel the attack.
​”Our technical teams are currently engaged in active efforts to neutralize the threat, restore the integrity of the system, and ensure the availability of the platform,” the statement read. “Voting has not yet officially commenced, and no votes are being accepted at this time to guarantee that every ballot cast is secure and valid.”
​The ECNBA strongly urged all members to remain vigilant, reminding eligible voters that the only official voting portal is www.ecnbaovs.org.ng. Legal practitioners nationwide were warned to completely disregard any alternative links, platforms, or communications, as they could be instruments of the ongoing malicious campaign.
​Despite the criminal interference, the leadership of the ECNBA reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to delivering a free, fair, transparent, and credible election. The committee assured members that the electronic platform will be fully restored, and a new exact time for the commencement of voting will be communicated as soon as the system is deemed entirely secure.
