Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, has been elected the 33rd President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), becoming only the second woman to lead the association in its 93-year history and the first to do so in 34 years.
The Chairman of the Electoral Committee of the NBA (ECNBA), Chief Aham Ejelam, SAN, announced the results on Sunday after the conclusion of the association’s 2026 national officers’ election, which was marred by internal disputes and technical challenges.
Badejo-Okusanya secured 12,317 votes (47.18%) to defeat her closest rival, Lateef Akangbe, SAN, who polled 7,934 votes (30.39%). Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN, came third with 5,855 votes (22.43%).
According to the ECNBA, a total of 26,106 valid votes were cast in the presidential election.
Her victory marks a historic milestone for the legal profession, making her the second female President of the NBA since the association was founded in 1933, ending a 34-year gap since the last woman held the office.
In the election for General Secretary, Afam Okeke emerged victorious after polling 8,478 votes. The newly elected national officers will serve a two-year term from 2026 to 2028.
Badejo-Okusanya was not present at the announcement of the results due to a delayed flight. However, a member of her campaign team, Aminu Gadanya, SAN, said the President-elect was committed to fostering unity within the association and would extend a hand of reconciliation to her opponents.
Speaking after the declaration of results, outgoing NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, acknowledged that the election faced significant challenges, including a cyberattack that threatened to disrupt the process.
He said the electoral committee successfully overcame the challenges by rebuilding and migrating the ICT infrastructure to a more secure server, ensuring the credibility of the election.
Osigwe urged the newly elected officers to be humble in victory and called on all members to put aside their differences in the interest of the legal profession.
He added that the NBA would review the election process and strengthen its cybersecurity and electoral systems to safeguard future elections, stressing the need to preserve the independence and integrity of the association’s democratic process.
