Former Vice President and Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu of meddling in the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) election as a test run for rigging the 2027 general elections.
Atiku alleged that the President has brought a state-sponsored, toxic politics of coronation to bear on the lawyers’ association.
In a statement signed by his media office, Atiku expressed deep concern over the development, claiming the NBA election demonstrates that the current administration is willing to compromise vital institutions.
He argued that the strategy of imposition, rather than allowing for free, fair, and credible elections, is the same playbook the Tinubu-led administration is working to deploy in the 2027 general elections.
According to Atiku, the administration is actively weakening opposition parties by instigating internal crises, destroying democratic institutions, and focusing on rigging.
Atiku pointed to media reports suggesting that government agents have resorted to using the courts to pressure members of the bar into settling for a preferred candidate.
He described this as a dangerous precedent capable of widening national fault lines.
The statement emphasized that the NBA election remains the sole responsibility of the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA), as appointed by the NBA National Executive Council, in line with the amended 2015 NBA Constitution.
Atiku argued that by attempting to enthrone a preferred candidate and arm-twisting the NBA to disqualify prospective contenders, the presidency is merely testing its strategy to eventually disqualify opposition candidates in 2027 through the courts and the electoral umpire.
He issued a warning to government officials to stop interfering in the NBA’s transition process, describing it as disgraceful that state actors are allegedly deploying security agents to arrest service providers and disrupt the voting process.
Atiku concluded that this level of desperation reveals how the ruling party plans to use government agencies to manipulate the next general elections.