The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has elected Mrs Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya (SAN), as its 33rd president, capping a fiercely contested election that survived a cyberattack and technical glitches.
Badejo-Okusanya polled 12,317 votes, representing 47.18 percent of the 26,106 votes cast, to defeat two other lawyers in the association’s 2026 national officers’ election held on Sunday.
Her closest challenger, Lateef Akangbe (SAN) secured 7,934 votes (30.39 percent), while Olumuyiwa Akinboro (SAN) polled 5,855 votes (22.43 percent).
The victory makes Badejo-Okusanya only the second female president in the association’s history, following Priscilla Kuye, who led the NBA from 1991 to 1992.
Chairman of the NBA Electoral Committee, Aham Ejelam (SAN) announced the results at the NBA National Secretariat in Abuja, following a voting process delayed by technical challenges and a cyberattack that forced the committee to rebuild and migrate its ICT infrastructure to a more secure server.
Outgoing NBA Presidentz Afam Osigwe (SAN), disclosed that the election survived deliberate attempts to sabotage the process.
“Our colleagues planned to truncate the election, but we stood firm. Every effort to derail this process failed,” Osigwe said.
“This is a trying time for the Bar. In the build-up to this election, many went to great lengths to rubbish the association.”
He described the cyberattack as a wake-up call, stressing that the association must strengthen its data protection and cybersecurity measures ahead of future elections.
Badejo-Okusanya was not present when the results were declared, but her campaign team attributed her absence to a flight delay.
Aminu Gadanya (SAN), a member of her campaign team, said the president-elect was committed to extending a “handshake of friendship” to all aggrieved candidates in the interest of unity.
Other elected national officers include Oghenero Okoro, who emerged as 1st vice-president with 11,024 votes, Afam Okeke, elected general secretary with 8,478 votes, Aghogho Gladys, who won the position of assistant general secretary with 14,312 votes, and Chinelo Audrey Ofoegbunam, who emerged as welfare secretary with 14,911 votes.
In his farewell address, Osigwe urged the newly elected officers to be magnanimous in victory and called on unsuccessful candidates to support the new leadership.
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“To those who won, be magnanimous in victory; for those who lost, there is always another day,” he said.
“The unity of the bar cannot and should never be negotiated. As I now bow out, I wish the new executive all the very best in office.
“May we never see the day when those who lead us will be elected by people other than lawyers.”
Osigwe further disclosed that the electoral committee would conduct a comprehensive review of the electoral process, particularly the challenges encountered, to strengthen confidence in future NBA elections and improve cybersecurity protocols.
Badejo-Okusanya will serve a two-year tenure spanning 2026 to 2028.
