Ms. Barbara Tosan Onwubiko, the Vice Chairman of NBA Gwagwalada and one of the Admins of NBA Decides, has like a jilted lover and abandoned foot soldier, taken unkindly to the disclaimer issued by NBA and signed by NBA President, YC Maikyau OON, SAN. We learnt she was one of the lynchpins used by YC Maikyau during his campaign in 2022.
In her rejoinder trending on many NBA/Lawyers friendly WhatsApp groups, she accused YC Maikyau of being a beneficiary of similar services rendered by her group during the 2022 NBA Election that berthed YC’s Administration. According to her, “Mr President this group was in existence before the start of your administration which was of immense benefit to you and every other National Elective officer during the period of the 2022 NBA campaigns.“.
The full open letter/rejoinder reads:
“RE: DISCLAIMER BY PRESIDENT OF THE NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION, MR YAKUBU CHONOKO MAIKYAU OF THE UNAUTHORISED POLLS BY A BODY WHICH DESCRIBES OR CALLS ITSELF “NBA DECIDES”
I, BARBARA TOSAN ONWUBIKO, a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, and the creator of the group “NBA DECIDES” , is in receipt of the above notice sir.
Mr. President, I must clarify that the NBA Decides is not a body but a group that was created on the 14th day of June 2022 for sharing NBA-related media content aimed at building a more edifying, more vibrant, and more committed Bar. For election purposes also, the group has always been an ideal platform for disseminating information concerning NBA elections, focusing critically on the elections of the NBA, and providing as well as encouraging full participation in the NBA.
Mr. President, social and political polls are organized and conducted all over the world by different social media groups and platforms. Just like several other NBA social media groups who have organized harmless polls at different times with the full participation of lawyers, which includes but is not limited to the Nigerian Bar Association Members, and NBA Reforms; the NBA Decides also felt the need to organize its own polls. 
Sir, political and social polls help leaders understand what lawyers want, as well as understand who is the most popular candidate(s). The NBA Decides polls just like any other NBA polls previously organized by other NBA groups have nothing to do with the control and/or management of a particular body and/or Association. The notice of the NBA Decides polls clearly states thus:
“The NBA Decides shall conduct a poll exercise for specific National elective offices of the NBA which shall hold as follows: 12th June 2024- office of the National Publicity Secretary, Welfare Secretary, and Treasurer, 14th June 2024- office of the 3rd Vice President, General Secretary, and Assistant General Secretary, and 16th June 2024 – office of the National Assistant Publicity Secretary, 1st Vice President, and President.
The duration shall be 36 hours starting from 12:00am on the 12th day of June to end by 12:00pm on the 13th day of June 2024, and same duration on the 14th and 16th day of June 2024.
TO BE QUALIFIED TO VOTE:
You must be a lawyer
VOTING TYPE/METHOD:
E-secret ballot voting method to ensure voting secrecy.
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE ON HOW TO VOTE:
1. Click on the unique link under the name of your preferred candidate,
2. Enter your name (you can choose to vote anonymously). Subsequent voting would not require the entry of your name.
3. Select ‘submit votes’.
NOTE:
1. Once you click on the link under the name of your preferred candidate, you can not change your vote.
2. Once you have voted, you can always view results to know which candidate is leading and/or if your preferred candidate is leading by clicking on the link under ‘View Results’.
3. Names of voters are not visible to anyone. You can ONLY view the number of aspirants’ votes.
At the start of voting, links would be shared on all Facebook and WhatsApp lawyers platforms, and to respective representatives of the aspirants.
We guarantee that voting is easy, seamless, and secure. Please feel free to vote for your preferred candidate.
Thank you.
Powered by:
NBA DECIDES
02/06/2024 .
We also went further to issue a disclaimer- “Pardon our exclusion of the office of the second Vice President. This is because we have no representatives for candidates for the said office.
Also, kindly note that the results of this pre-poll exercise do not reflect the official final results of the NBA elections.
Thank you.
Admin
NBA DECIDES .
Mr. President, never did we at any point request and/or require NBA resources, privacy details, and/or the database of any voters (Lawyers) as can be clearly seen in our notice above in our “step-by-step guide on how to vote”. Neither did we use the logo, mark, or brand of the Nigerian Bar Association to warrant a threat of criminal prosecution and petition to the LPDC sir.
The NBA Decides notice for the poll exercise, its disclaimer, and logo is hereby attached as ANNEXURE A, B, and C.
I must say with absolute certainty Mr. President that since I was called to the Nigerian Bar, I have never been this sad about my Association, the Association I have held so dear and pledged to serve and protect. As an upright and dedicated member of the Bar, I am in great and utter shock by the notice made dated 3rd June 2024 and circulated. Mr President this group was in existence before the start of your administration which was of immense benefit to you and every other National Elective officer during the period of the 2022 NBA campaigns.
In line with the notice above, we, therefore cancel the said polls scheduled to be held on the 12th, 14th, and 16th day of June 2024 fixed for specific national elective offices captioned above, personally bearing all expenses incurred for the organization of same.
I wish to clearly state that the cancellation is not based on the admission of wrongdoing, but because the disclaimer has the potential to affect participation and the outcome of the polls.
Moving forward, the NBA Decides would no longer be referred to as the Nigerian Bar Association Decides, but LAWYERS DECIDES.
I thank everyone who has personally reached out to me, and I assure them that I am not deterred from the growth, and advancement of the Bar. Together, we would build and achieve an all-inclusive, responsive, and efficient Bar.
