Breaking: Cyberattack disrupts NBA presidential election

— ECNBA delays voting

By Henry Ojelu

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 following what it described as a coordinated cyberattack on its electronic voting platform.

Voting was scheduled to commence at 12:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 18, 2026, but failed to start as planned after the electoral body said external actors targeted the platform in an apparent attempt to compromise the integrity of the election.

In a statement issued in the early hours of Saturday, the ECNBA apologised to candidates, eligible voters, agents, consultants and observers for the disruption, disclosing that the e-voting system came under a “deliberate, coordinated and sustained cyberattack.”

The Committee said the attack was aimed at disrupting, sabotaging and undermining the 2026 NBA electoral process, describing it as a direct assault on its technical infrastructure.

According to the ECNBA, its cybersecurity team and the Election Voting Service Provider, EVSP, have activated emergency security protocols and are working to neutralise the threat and restore full functionality of the platform.

“The system is expected to be fully restored and voting will commence immediately upon restoration,” the Committee stated.

It stressed that voting had not commenced and that no votes were being accepted at the time of the announcement, assuring members that the portal would be reopened once the platform is secured.

The Committee urged lawyers across the country to await further official communication before attempting to access the voting portal.

ECNBA also warned members against using any platform other than its designated voting portal, noting that alternative links or communications may be part of the malicious campaign targeting the election.

Despite the disruption, the Committee said all candidates, agents and observers remained present at the designated monitoring centre and that the electoral process continued under its supervision.

The development has heightened tension among NBA members, as the election is expected to produce the association’s next national leadership.

While assuring stakeholders of its commitment to a credible electoral process, the ECNBA said it would continue to provide updates through its official channels as efforts to restore the platform progress.

The statement was signed by the Chairman of ECNBA 2026, Aham Ejelam, SAN, and the Committee’s Secretary, Ibrahim Nassarawa