The Kano State chapter of the Law Officers Association of Nigeria (LOAN) has formally complained to the National President of the Nigerian Bar Association regarding the management of the recent Kano Branch elections. The group claims the local electoral committee ignored a binding directive from the Northern Zone Elections Appeals Committee.
The conflict started when the Kano Branch Election Committee (ELCOM) blocked 15 LOAN members from voting, citing unpaid branch or welfare dues. In response, LOAN challenged this move, leading the Appeals Committee—led by Abdul Atadoga Ibrahim, SAN—to rule that welfare dues could not serve as a basis for disqualification. Despite this order to update the voter list, ELCOM allegedly refused to reinstate the voters.
LOAN officials, led by Chairman Abdullah Aminu Shams and Secretary Safiya Yalwati Yahaya, argued that this refusal undermines the NBA’s democratic standards. They are requesting an investigation, a declaration that the exclusion was illegal, and a review of the election’s legitimacy. ELCOM Secretary Yusuf Abdulsalam declined to address the claims directly, stating that the committee would only respond through proper formal channels.
