Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, has been elected the 33rd President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), making history as the second woman to lead the association.
She secured 12,317 votes, representing 47.18 per cent of the total votes cast, to defeat her closest challenger, Lateef Akangbe (SAN), who polled 7,934 votes, while Olumuyiwa Akinboro (SAN) garnered 5,855 votes.
The results of the 2026 NBA national officers’ election were announced on Sunday at the association’s National Secretariat in Abuja by the Chairman of the Electoral Committee of the NBA (ECNBA), Aham Ejelam (SAN).
A total of 26,106 votes were recorded in the election.
With the victory, Badejo-Okusanya will serve a two-year tenure from 2026 to 2028, becoming the first woman to occupy the office since Priscilla Kuye, who led the association between 1991 and 1992.
Other elected national officers 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.
Badejo-Okusanya was absent during the announcement of the results. However, a member of her campaign team, Aminu Gadanya (SAN), attributed her absence to a flight delay, adding that the president-elect is committed to promoting unity within the legal profession.
According to him, she is ready to extend a “handshake of friendship” to her opponents in the interest of strengthening cohesion and advancing the collective goals of the association.
Speaking after the declaration of the results, the outgoing NBA President, Afam Osigwe (SAN), disclosed that the election encountered technical challenges, including a cyberattack that forced the electoral committee to migrate its ICT infrastructure to a more secure server.
Despite the setbacks, Osigwe said the electoral process was successfully concluded and urged members to remain united.
He congratulated the newly elected officers, urging them to be magnanimous in victory, while encouraging unsuccessful candidates to support the incoming administration in the overall interest of the association.
Osigwe also disclosed that the Electoral Committee would conduct a comprehensive review of the election process, particularly the technical issues experienced, to strengthen future elections and improve the NBA’s cybersecurity framework.
