Cyberattack Forces Suspension of NBA National Election as Electronic Voting Platform Crashes

• Electoral committee postpones commencement of voting indefinitely after cyberattack
• Officials say no votes were cast as emergency security measures are activated
• Lawyers urged to avoid unofficial links while cybersecurity experts restore platform

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has postponed the commencement of its 2026 national elections after a coordinated cyberattack crippled the association’s electronic voting platform just hours before polling was due to begin.

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The Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) announced in the early hours of Saturday that voting, originally scheduled to commence at 12:00 a.m., could not proceed because the online voting infrastructure came under what it described as a deliberate and sustained cyber assault.

The disruption has delayed the election indefinitely, with the committee assuring members that voting will begin immediately the platform is fully restored and secured.

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In a statement jointly signed by ECNBA Chairman, Aham Ejelam (SAN), and Secretary, Ibrahim Nassarawa, the committee apologised to candidates, accredited voters, election agents, consultants and observers for the unexpected setback.

According to the electoral body, the cyberattack appeared to be aimed at disrupting and undermining the credibility of the NBA’s electoral process.

The committee disclosed that its cybersecurity team, working alongside the Election Voting Service Provider (EVSP), had activated emergency security protocols to contain the attack and restore full functionality to the electronic voting system.

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

ECNBA stressed that no voting had taken place before the interruption, clarifying that the electronic portal had not accepted any votes since the scheduled commencement time.

To prevent further security breaches, the committee advised lawyers and eligible voters to await fresh official communication before attempting to access the voting portal.

It also cautioned members against using any website or communication channel other than the officially designated voting portal, www.ecnbaovs.org.ng, warning that alternative links could form part of the malicious campaign targeting the election.

Despite the disruption, the committee said all candidates, their agents and accredited observers remained present at the designated monitoring centre, where the electoral process continues to be supervised pending restoration of the platform.

The ECNBA reaffirmed its commitment to conducting a transparent and credible election, assuring members that further updates would be communicated through its official channels as efforts to restore the electronic voting system continue.