Two members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) — John Demide and Sarah Ajibola – are being prosecuted for allegedly rigging the 2018 NBA general elections conducted electronically.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed a 14-count charge against the duo of Demide and Ajibola at a Federal High Court, Lagos.
The prosecutor alleged that the defendants conspired and altered the email addresses and phone numbers of 1004 eligible voters of the NBA election with the intention that such inauthentic data will be acted upon as genuine during the election.
The EFCC prosecutor, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, said Demide and Ajibola violated Sections 13 and 27(1) (b) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition) Act 2015.
It will be recalled that Mr Paul Usoro (SAN), who was declared the winner by the Electoral Committee to have polled 4,509 votes to beat his closest rival, Arthur Okafor (SAN) and Ernest Ojukwu (SAN), who polled 4,423 and 3,313 votes, respectively.
The duo rejected the election result, alleging that it was rigged.
The lawyers (Demide and Ajibola) were accused of fraudulently using the Supreme Court enrolment numbers of some lawyers to vote “with the intent of gaining electoral advantage in favour of Mr Paul Usoro”.
The EFCC named lawyers, whose Supreme Court enrolment numbers were allegedly used by the defendants as Gabriel Oladapo, Uthman Oluwaseun, David Anako, Chiagoziem Aninilu, and Bankole Toyin.
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