‘It makes election seamless’ — NBA asks INEC to understudy its digital template

Yakubu Maikyau, the outgoing president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), says the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should study the association’s election process to help improve its activities.

Maikyau spoke on Monday while unveiling a digital stamp and seal for legal practitioners in the country.

He said the virtual stamp would check the activities of fake lawyers and ensure seamless preparation and filing of legal processes.

Maikyau said the electronic stamp and seal are part of the vision of his administration to push for full digitisation of the legal system.

He noted that the association recently conducted an online-based election that allowed members to participate from various parts of the country.

“That election has been adjudged to be free, fair, and the most credible. What we did during the election is a template that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, should copy,” he said.

“I invite INEC to come and understudy what we did to make the election seamless, with the electorate casting their ballot from the comfort of their homes.

“To a large extent, it reduces the cost of conducting an election, and I suggest that INEC should really be thinking in that line.

“Maybe we need to write to the national assembly to make legislation that will mandate the commission to go this route.

“For the first time in the history of the association, the registration of lawyers for its forthcoming annual general conference, AGC, was effectively done electronically without awarding the contract to a third party.

“Registration for the 2024 AGC was done on the platform of the NBA.

“This is about pressing forward. It is a posture we must take in building our nation. By making our profession better, we are also moving the nation forward.”