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Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mrs Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, emerged as the 33rd President of the Nigerian Bar Association after a keenly contested election marked by technical challenges, allegations of voter disenfranchisement and protests from some senior lawyers over the credibility of the process.
Badejo-Okusanya defeated two other SANs, Lateef Akangbe and Olumuyiwa Akinboro, in the NBA’s 2026 national officers’ election, which was delayed after the electronic voting platform suffered glitches and was reportedly subjected to a cyber attack.
The Chairman of the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association, Chief Aham Ejelam (SAN), announced the results at the NBA National Secretariat in Abuja on Sunday, declaring that Badejo-Okusanya polled 12,317 votes, representing 47.18 per cent of the total votes cast.
Akangbe came second with 7,934 votes (30.39 per cent), while Akinboro secured 5,855 votes (22.43 per cent).
According to Ejelam, a total of 26,106 votes were recorded in the election, which had been criticised by some candidates and members of the association over the difficulties experienced by voters while attempting to cast their ballots.
With her emergence, Badejo-Okusanya becomes the second woman to lead the NBA after Mrs Priscilla Kuye, who served as president between 1991 and 1992.
She will serve a two-year tenure from 2026 to 2028.
Other elected national officers include Oghenero Okoro, who emerged as First Vice-President with 11,024 votes; Afam Okeke, who was elected General Secretary with 8,478 votes; Aghogho Gladys, who won the position of Assistant General Secretary with 14,312 votes; and Chinelo Audrey Ofoegbunam, who emerged as Welfare Secretary with 14,911 votes.
Badejo-Okusanya was absent when the results were announced. However, a member of her campaign team, Aminu Gadanya (SAN), attributed her absence to a flight delay and said the president-elect was committed to extending a “handshake of friendship” to all aggrieved candidates in the interest of unity.
Speaking after the declaration of results, the outgoing NBA President, Afam Osigwe (SAN), said the election survived attempts to derail the process, including a cyber attack that forced the electoral committee to rebuild and migrate its ICT system to a more secure server.
“Our colleagues planned to truncate the election, but we stood firm. Every effort to derail this process failed.
“This is a trying time for the Bar. In the build-up to this election, many went to great lengths to rubbish the association,” he said.
He urged the newly elected officers to be magnanimous in victory and called on unsuccessful candidates to support the new leadership.
“To those who won, be magnanimous in victory; for those who lost, there is always another day.
“The cyber attack shows that we must do more in data protection. Let us collectively do things in an acceptable manner,” Osigwe said.
He added, “Someday, the story will be told of how this election was almost sabotaged.
“We must be able to promote the rule of law, and the NBA, made up of lawyers, should be able to determine the course of its electoral process. Where we made mistakes, I believe my successor will correct them.
“Winners should extend the hands of fellowship to those who lost and have a united front to move the Bar forward.
“The unity of the Bar cannot and should never be negotiated. As I now bow out, I wish the new executive the very best in office.
“May we never see the day when those who lead us will be elected by people other than lawyers.”
Osigwe also disclosed that the electoral committee would conduct a comprehensive review of the electoral process, particularly the challenges encountered, with a view to strengthening confidence in future NBA elections and improving the association’s cybersecurity and electoral integrity.
