The Court of Appeal, Ibadan Division, has set aside the controversial ex parte interim order issued by the Oyo State High Court, which had hitherto restrained the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) from proceeding with the 2026 National Officers’ Election.
In a unanimous judgment, the appellate court allowed the appeal filed by the ECNBA, declaring the entire proceedings of the lower court a complete nullity.
The appellate justices held that the Oyo State High Court lacked the requisite jurisdiction ab initio (from the beginning) to entertain, hear, or determine the suit.
The legal battle stemmed from an interim injunction granted by the Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan, which had effectively paralyzed the activities of the ECNBA.
The lower court’s order had barred the committee from performing any functions related to the national elections and restrained the NBA leadership from supervising or participating in the process.
The lawsuit had been instituted by a group of legal practitioners challenging the legitimacy of the electoral process and the composition of the electoral umpire.
Dissatisfied with the restriction, the ECNBA approached the appellate court to challenge the lower court’s authority.
By ruling that the High Court acted without jurisdiction, the Court of Appeal has effectively erased the restrictive orders, removing the legal bottlenecks that threatened to disrupt the transition of leadership within the umbrella body of Nigerian lawyers.
With this judgment, the ECNBA is legally cleared to proceed with the conduct of the national elections as scheduled.
Legal analysts note that this decision strongly reaffirms the independence of the bar’s internal electoral organs from premature judicial interventions by courts lacking proper jurisdictional competence.
