Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, has been elected the 33rd President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), becoming the second woman to lead the association after defeating two other senior lawyers in the 2026 national officers’ election.
The Chairman of the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA), Aham Ejelam, SAN, announced the results on Sunday at the NBA National Secretariat in Abuja after voting was delayed by technical issues and a cyberattack.
Badejo-Okusanya secured 12,317 votes (47.18%) to defeat her closest rival, Lateef Akangbe, SAN, who polled 7,934 votes (30.39%), while Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN, received 5,855 votes (22.43%). A total of 26,106 votes were cast in the election.
She will serve a two-year term from 2026 to 2028, becoming only the second female NBA president after 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.
Although the president-elect was absent during the announcement of the results, a member of her campaign team, Aminu Gadanya, SAN, explained that she was delayed by a flight and remained committed to uniting the Bar by extending a hand of friendship to all contestants.
Speaking after the declaration, outgoing NBA President Afam Osigwe, SAN, said the election overcame several attempts to disrupt the process, including a cyberattack that forced the ECNBA to migrate its ICT infrastructure to a more secure server.
He urged the newly elected officials to be gracious in victory while encouraging unsuccessful candidates to support the incoming leadership in the interest of the association.
Osigwe also revealed that the Electoral Committee would conduct a comprehensive review of the election to address the challenges encountered, strengthen cybersecurity, and enhance the credibility and integrity of future NBA electoral processes.
