Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya has been elected the 33rd President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) after emerging victorious in the association’s national election.

Announcing the results at the NBA National Secretariat in Abuja on Sunday, Chairman of the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA), Aham Ejelam, said Badejo-Okusanya secured 12,317 votes, representing 47.18 per cent of the total votes cast.

She defeated her closest rival, Lateef Akangbe, who polled 7,934 votes (30.39 per cent), while the third candidate, Olumuyiwa Akinboro, garnered 5,855 votes, representing 22.43 per cent.

According to the ECNBA, a total of 26,106 votes were cast from 82,172 registered voters, giving a voter turnout of 31.86 per cent.

The election also produced Oghenero Okoro as First Vice-President after polling 11,024 votes. Afam Okeke emerged as General Secretary with 8,478 votes, while Aghogho Gladys was elected Assistant General Secretary with 14,312 votes. Chinelo Ofoegbunam won the position of Welfare Secretary after securing 14,911 votes.

Speaking after the announcement of the results, outgoing NBA President, Afam Osigwe, disclosed that the election survived attempts to undermine the process, including a cyberattack that forced the ECNBA to rebuild and migrate its ICT infrastructure to a more secure server.

“Our colleagues planned to truncate the election, but we stood firm. Every effort to derail this process failed. This is a trying time for the Bar. In the build-up to this election, many went to great lengths to rubbish the association,” Osigwe said.

He urged the newly elected officers to be magnanimous in victory and called on unsuccessful candidates to support the incoming leadership.

“To those who won, be magnanimous in victory; for those who lost, there is always another day. The cyberattack shows that we must do more in data protection. Let us collectively do things in an acceptable manner,” he added.

Osigwe also revealed that the ECNBA would conduct a comprehensive review of the election, particularly the challenges encountered during the exercise, with the aim of strengthening future NBA elections and improving the association’s cybersecurity and electoral processes.

He expressed confidence that the incoming leadership would build on the achievements of the outgoing administration while preserving the unity and integrity of the legal profession.

Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya Elected 33rd NBA President

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