Monday, July 20, 2026 -Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya has been elected the 33rd President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) after emerging victorious in the association's national election.
Announcing the results at the NBA National Secretariat in
Abuja on Sunday, July 19, Chairman of the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian
Bar Association (ECNBA), Aham Ejelam, said Badejo-Okusanya polled 12,317 votes,
representing 47.18 per cent of the total votes cast, to defeat her closest
challenger, Lateef Akangbe, who secured 7,934 votes, representing 30.39 per
cent.
The third presidential candidate, Olumuyiwa Akinboro, polled
5,855 votes, representing 22.43 per cent of the total votes cast. According to
the ECNBA, a total of 26,106 votes were cast from 82,172 registered voters,
representing a voter turnout of 31.86 per cent.
The election also produced Oghenero Okoro as First
Vice-President after polling 11,024 votes. Afam Okeke was elected General
Secretary with 8,478 votes, while Aghogho Gladys won the position of Assistant
General Secretary with 14,312 votes. Chinelo Ofoegbunam emerged as Welfare
Secretary after securing 14,911 votes.
Speaking after the announcement of the results, outgoing NBA
President Afam Osigwe said the election survived attempts to undermine the
process, including a cyberattack that forced the ECNBA to rebuild and migrate
its ICT infrastructure 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 a great extent to
rubbish the association," Osigwe said. He urged the newly elected national
officers to be magnanimous in victory and called on those who were unsuccessful
to support the incoming 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," he said. Osigwe added that the circumstances surrounding the
election would eventually become known.
"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 EXCO
all 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 further disclosed that the ECNBA would conduct a
comprehensive review of the election, focusing on the challenges encountered
during the exercise, with the aim of strengthening future NBA elections and
improving the association's cybersecurity and electoral processes.
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