Steve Aya
Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mrs Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, has been elected the 33rd President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), defeating two other Senior Advocates in the Association’s 2026 national officers’ election. She secured 12,317 votes, representing 47.18% of the total votes cast, to emerge victorious, and will lead the Association for a two-year term from 2026 to 2028.
Chairman of the Electoral Committee of the NBA (ECNBA), Aham Ejelam, SAN, announced the results at the NBA National Secretariat in Abuja on Sunday after the conclusion of the election, which experienced delays due to technical challenges and a cyberattack. Ejelam disclosed that Mrs Badejo-Okusanya defeated her closest rival, Lateef Akangbe, SAN, who polled 7,934 votes, while the third candidate, Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN, secured 5,855 votes. A total of 26,106 votes were recorded in the exercise.
Mrs Badejo-Okusanya’s election also marks a significant milestone in the history of the Association, as she becomes only the second woman to serve as NBA President after Dame Priscilla Kuye, who held the office between 1991 and 1992. Other officials elected include Oghenero Okoro as First Vice-President with 11,024 votes, Afam Okeke as General Secretary with 8,478 votes, Aghogho Gladys as Assistant General Secretary with 14,312 votes, and Chinelo Audrey Ofoegbunam as Welfare Secretary with 14,911 votes.
A member of her campaign team, Aminu Gadanya, SAN, stated that the President -elect remained committed to promoting unity within the Bar, by extending a “handshake of friendship” to all aggrieved candidates following the keenly contested election.
Speaking after the announcement of the results, outgoing NBA President, Afam Osigwe, SAN, revealed that the election survived determined attempts to derail the process, including a cyberattack that compelled the ECNBA to rebuild and migrate its ICT infrastructure to a more secure server. He said despite efforts by some individuals to undermine the credibility of the process, the Committee remained resolute in ensuring that the election was successfully concluded.
Osigwe urged the newly elected officers to be magnanimous in victory, and appealed to unsuccessful candidates to rally behind the new leadership in the interest of the Association. He noted that the cyberattack underscored the need for stronger data protection measures, and stressed that the unity of the Bar must remain paramount. According to him, the NBA must continue to uphold the rule of law, and preserve the integrity of its electoral processes.
The outgoing NBA President further disclosed that the ECNBA would undertake a comprehensive review of the election, particularly the technical and cybersecurity challenges encountered during the exercise. He said the review would help strengthen confidence in future NBA elections, improve electoral integrity, and enhance the Association’s cybersecurity framework, while ensuring that future leaders of the Bar continue to emerge through a credible process determined solely by Lawyers.
