Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, has been elected the 33rd President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), defeating two other candidates in the association’s 2026 national election.
The Chairman of the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA), Aham Ejelam, SAN, announced the results on Sunday at the NBA National Secretariat in Abuja following the conclusion of the election, which experienced delays due to technical issues and a cyberattack.
Badejo-Okusanya secured 12,317 votes, representing 47.18 per cent of the total votes cast, ahead of Lateef Akangbe, SAN, who polled 7,934 votes (30.39 per cent), while Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN, garnered 5,855 votes (22.43 per cent). A total of 26,106 votes were recorded in the exercise.
Her victory makes her the second woman to lead the NBA after Priscilla Kuye, who served as the association’s president between 1991 and 1992. She will serve a two-year term from 2026 to 2028.
Other officials elected include Oghenero Okoro as First Vice-President, Afam Okeke as General Secretary, Aghogho Gladys as Assistant General Secretary, and Chinelo Audrey Ofoegbunam as Welfare Secretary.
The president-elect was absent during the announcement of the results. A member of her campaign team, Aminu Gadanya, SAN, attributed her absence to a flight delay, adding that she remained committed to fostering unity within the association by reaching out to all candidates.
Speaking after the declaration, outgoing NBA President Afam Osigwe, SAN, said the election withstood several attempts to undermine the process, including a cyberattack that compelled the electoral committee to rebuild and migrate its ICT infrastructure to a more secure server.
Osigwe urged the newly elected officers to be magnanimous in victory and appealed to unsuccessful candidates to support the new leadership in the interest of the Bar.
He also revealed that the Electoral Committee would undertake a comprehensive review of the election to address identified challenges, strengthen cybersecurity, and improve the credibility and integrity of future NBA electoral processes.