Two lawyers arraigned for rigging NBA election

Thursday, December 10, 2020 10:24 pm

Justice

Akin Kuponiyi

Two lawyers, Sarah Ajibola and John Demide, alleged to have rigged the August 2018 Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) national elections were today, 10 December, arraigned before a Federal high court in Lagos..

Economic and Financial crime commission alleged that Ajibola, and Demide manipulated the election in favour of Mr Paul Usoro SAN, who was elected 29th NBA President in 2018.

Mr Usoro polled 4,509 votes to defeat his other contenders, Okafor Obi, and Ernest Ojukwu, who got 4,423 as well as 3,313 votes in the election.

EFCC counsel, Mrs Bilikisu Buhari Bala, stated that the defendants committed the offences in August, 2018.

The two lawyers were alleged to have conspired together and altered personal details including email addresses and phone numbers of about 1004 eligible voters for the elections, with the intention that such inauthentic data will be acted upon as genuine during the said election.

Some of the voters’ names allegedly falsified were: Gabriel Abijo Oladipo with Supreme Court of Nigeria (SCN) No. 043280; Uthman Adeleye Oluwaseun with SCN No. 088449; David Anakor SCN No. 015233; Chiagoziem Bethel Aninilu, SCN No. 114439 and Bankole Isaac Toyin with SCN no. 024643.

The two lawyers were alleged to have used a smoke model on IP address 169.159.65.190 to commit the electoral fraud.

The offences, alleged to have been committed by the defendants contravened and punishable under sections 27(1)(b), 13, 22(2), 22(3) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition Prevention etc.) Act, 2015.

Ajibola and Demide pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Their counsel, N. E. Ogeibe and Deborah Ogundele, prayed the court to admit them to bail “in the most liberal terms.”

He told the court that Ajibola is a senior lawyer of over 15 years at the bar and would neither jump bail nor tamper with evidence for the charge.

In his ruling the presiding, Judge, Chuka Obiozor admitted each defendant to bail in the sum of N500,000 with one surety each and ordered that they should remain with the anti-graft agency for seven days in order to fulfill their bail terms, failure of which they will be transferred to the custody of Nigerian Correctional Services.

Thereafter the case was adjourned till April 14, 15, 16, 20, 21 and 22, 2021, for trial to commence