The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed cyber fraud charges against two lawyers — John Demide and Sarah Ajibola — for allegedly rigging the August 2018 Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) national election.
The EFCC filed a 14-count charge against the duo before the federal high court in Lagos state on May 5.
The anti-graft agency accused Demide and Ajibola of manipulating the election in favour of Paul Usoro, the NBA president.
Usoro had polled 4,509 votes to defeat Okafor Obi and Ernest Ojukwu who scored 4,423 and 3,313 votes respectively.
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Abubakar Mahmoud, former president of the association, had described the election as the fairest held so far but Okafor challenged Usoro’s victory and asked the court to conduct a verification of voters and audit the electoral process leading to the results announced.
A group of lawyers under the auspices of Concerned Members of the Nigerian Bar Association also petitioned Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation, over the election which they described as “illegal and unconstitutional”.
In the suit marked FHC/L/118c/2020 and signed by Rotimi Oyedepo, EFCC counsel, the anti-graft agency alleged that the defendants altered the email addresses and phone numbers of 1004 eligible voters and cast votes for Usoro by impersonating them.
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It also accused the lawyers of fraudulently using the supreme court enrolment numbers of some lawyers to vote “with the intent of gaining an electoral advantage” in favour the incumbent president.
“That you, Sarah Omeigha Ajibola and John Ozovehe Demide sometime in August 2018, knowingly altered the email addresses and phone numbers of about 1004 eligible voters of the NBA 2018 National elections and… thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 13 of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act, 2015,” the charge read.
“That you, John Ozovehe Demide sometime on the 19th of August 2018, within the Jurisdiction of this court fraudulently used the unique identification features such as Name and Supreme Court Enrolment Number SCN043280 of one Gabriel Abijo Oladipo to vote as the same Gabriel Abijo Oladipo through your Smile modem on IP address 169.159.65.190, to vote with intent of gaining electoral advantage in favour of Mr. Paul Usoro (SAN) who was one of the Presidential Aspirants during the 2018 Nigerian Bar Association elections and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 22(2) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act, 2015 under the same section.”
“That you, John Ozovehe Demide sometime on the 20th day of August 2018, within the Jurisdiction of this Court fraudulently impersonated one Bankole Isaac Toyin to vote as the same Bankole Isaac Toyin with Supreme Court Enrolment Number SCN024643 by voting as such through your Smile modem on IP address 169.159.65.190 to vote with intent of gaining electoral advantage in favour of Mr. Paul Usoro (SAN) who was one of the Presidential Aspirants during the 2018 Nigerian Bar Association elections and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 22 (3) of the cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act, 2015”
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The NBA election which is held biennially has been fixed for July 24.
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