The Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) has suspended the commencement of voting in the 2026 NBA national elections following an alleged cyberattack on its electronic voting platform.
Voting was initially scheduled to begin at midnight on Saturday, July 18, but the exercise was halted after the committee said the system came under a coordinated attempt to disrupt the electoral process.
In a statement issued early Saturday, the ECNBA apologised to candidates, voters, election agents, consultants and observers for the unexpected delay.
According to the committee, the electronic voting infrastructure was targeted by a “deliberate, coordinated and sustained cyberattack” shortly before voting was due to commence.
It disclosed that cybersecurity experts, working alongside the Election Voting Service Provider, had activated emergency protocols to contain the breach, secure the platform and restore normal operations.
The committee explained that voting would only begin after technical teams confirmed the system was fully secured and its integrity restored, adding that no ballots had been cast as the platform remained inaccessible.
Although no new voting date or time was announced, the ECNBA assured members that fresh information would be communicated once the platform becomes safe for use.
The committee also warned lawyers against clicking unofficial election links or responding to unauthorised messages claiming to provide access to the voting portal, stressing that only its designated platform should be used.
Despite the disruption, the ECNBA said candidates, their agents and independent observers remained at the designated monitoring centre while recovery efforts continued.
The committee reaffirmed its commitment to conducting a transparent, credible and secure election and pledged to provide regular updates through its official communication channels.
The statement was jointly signed by the Chairman of the ECNBA 2026, Aham Ejelam (SAN), and the committee’s Secretary, Ibrahim Nassarawa.