By Olufunke Baruwa
I have a simple philosophy: wherever people gather (especially men), there is personal interest and profit to be made therein. Human beings rarely compete for leadership purely out of altruism. Whether in politics, religious organisations, estate associations, traditional institutions or professional bodies, positions confer influence, prestige, networks and the opportunity to shape outcomes. Ambition, therefore, is inevitable. The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) is no exception.
The recently concluded election into the national leadership of the Bar demonstrated that lawyers, despite their revered role as custodians of the rule of law, are as susceptible to the intrigues of power as any other group. What should have been a celebration of ideas and competing visions became crowded by allegations, counter-allegations, lobbying, litigation, factional alignments, social media battles and endless media speculation.
None of this should surprise us. Lawyers are skilled advocates. They understand strategy, persuasion and the mechanics of power. Yet there is something unsettling when the very institution that routinely demands transparency, due process and electoral integrity begins to resemble the political contests it so often critiques. That is why this election matters beyond the legal profession.
The NBA is not merely another professional association. It is one of Nigeria’s most important democratic institutions. It has consistently defended constitutionalism, challenged executive excesses, spoken against authoritarianism and championed judicial independence. Its president often becomes a national voice on governance and the rule of law. Nigerians therefore expect the Bar to model the democratic values it advocates.
The Politics Behind The Wig
Competitive elections are healthy. They allow members to debate ideas, scrutinise candidates and choose the leadership they believe can best serve the institution. But elections should never become more important than the institution itself.
Much of the public conversation around the NBA election focused less on competing agendas for reforming the profession and more on endorsements, zoning arrangements, campaign machinery, procedural disputes and factional loyalties. Court actions, leaked correspondence and public accusations frequently overshadowed substantive discussions about legal education, lawyers’ welfare, judicial reform, ethics and access to justice.
For many observers, the distinction between NBA politics and Nigeria’s partisan politics became increasingly blurred. Perhaps that should give the profession pause. The issue is not that lawyers engage in politics. Politics is simply the negotiation of interests, and every organisation has interests to negotiate. The issue is whether those contests are conducted in ways that strengthen rather than diminish the institution.
The intensity of the contest is hardly surprising. The NBA President is one of the most influential figures in Nigeria’s civic space, shaping debates on constitutionalism, judicial reform and the rule of law while serving as the public face of the legal profession. A position with such prestige and influence will inevitably attract fierce competition.
Professional bodies should demonstrate that elections can be fiercely competitive without becoming destructive. They should show that disagreements can be resolved without permanently fracturing relationships. Above all, they should remind Nigerians that democratic contests need not descend into bitterness and suspicion.
When professionals fail to lead by example, they weaken their moral authority to demand better conduct from politicians.
A Dangerous Precedent
The most troubling aspect of this election was the reported intervention of government through the arrest by the Department of State Services (DSS) of the Managing Director of the NBA’s election service provider on the eve of the poll. Whatever explanation is ultimately offered, the optics are disturbing.
Independent professional associations are essential pillars of any democracy. Their legitimacy depends on their ability to govern themselves without undue interference from the state. When security agencies become entangled—directly or indirectly—in the internal electoral processes of such institutions, confidence is eroded, suspicion deepens, and dangerous precedents are established.
Today it is the NBA. Tomorrow it could be the Nigerian Medical Association, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, the Nigerian Society of Engineers or any other independent body expected to hold government accountable.
Professional associations exist not merely to regulate their members but to provide independent voices on matters of national importance. If they cannot freely determine their own leadership, their ability to speak truth to power is inevitably weakened.
Lawyers, more than anyone else, understand the importance of precedent. Every compromise today can become tomorrow’s justification. If interference in the affairs of the Bar becomes normalised, it will become increasingly difficult to resist similar interference elsewhere. The independence of the legal profession is not a privilege. It is a democratic necessity.
History Made, Expectations Raised And A Historic Glass Ceiling Shattered
Amid the controversies, however, one outcome deserves genuine celebration. The election of Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, as the first woman to be elected President of the NBA marks a historic milestone. While Mrs Priscilla Kuye previously led the NBA after succeeding to the office following the resignation of the incumbent President, this is the first time members have directly entrusted the Bar’s highest office to a woman through the ballot. That distinction is significant.
For decades, women have made enormous contributions to Nigeria’s legal profession as advocates, judges, academics, public servants and Senior Advocates of Nigeria. Yet the highest elected office of the Bar remained beyond their reach. That barrier has now been broken.
Her victory sends an important message to young female lawyers across the country: leadership is not defined by gender but by competence, credibility and vision. It also reflects the gradual, though overdue, recognition that the legal profession benefits when leadership opportunities are genuinely open to all. Of course, history alone is not enough.
No leader should be judged solely by the symbolism of their election. The real test begins after the celebrations have ended. The new President inherits a profession facing significant challenges: from judicial reform and legal education to lawyers’ welfare, technology, ethics and public confidence in the justice system.
Many will rightly hope that this historic moment ushers in a new era of inclusive, principled and reform-oriented leadership.
The Institution Must Always Come First
Leadership tenures are temporary. Institutions are meant to endure. Long after campaign slogans have faded and election victories have been celebrated, lawyers will continue to practise, defend the Constitution and safeguard Nigeria’s democracy together. That shared responsibility should always be greater than personal ambition.
The NBA has, over the years, earned respect because it has often stood where others would not. It has defended citizens when their rights were threatened and challenged governments when constitutional boundaries were crossed. That moral authority has been painstakingly built over decades. It must not be squandered.
The lessons from this election are therefore clear. The Bar must continue to strengthen the transparency of its electoral processes, guard its institutional independence jealously and ensure that future contests are remembered more for ideas than intrigues. Equally, government must recognise that restraint is one of the highest expressions of democratic maturity. Independent institutions should be left to manage their internal affairs without fear or favour.
The NBA has made history by electing a female President. That achievement deserves applause. But perhaps the greater challenge lies ahead: proving that the Bar can remain what Nigerians expect it to be—not merely another arena for politics, but a beacon of integrity, independence and the rule of law.
Because when the guardians of justice lead by example, the nation is stronger for it.
