Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, has been elected the 33rd President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), emerging victorious in the association’s 2026 national election.
The results were announced on Sunday at the NBA National Secretariat in Abuja by the Chairman of the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA), Aham Ejelam, SAN, after the election experienced delays caused by technical glitches and a cyberattack.
According to the electoral committee, Badejo-Okusanya secured 12,317 votes, representing 47.18 per cent of the total ballots cast, to defeat her closest rival, Lateef Akangbe, SAN, who polled 7,934 votes (30.39 per cent). The third contestant, Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN, received 5,855 votes, representing 22.43 per cent.
A total of 26,106 valid votes were recorded during the election.
With the victory, Badejo-Okusanya will lead the NBA for a two-year tenure from 2026 to 2028. She also becomes only the second woman to occupy the office, following Priscilla Kuye, who served as NBA president between 1991 and 1992.
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Other officials elected into the association’s national executive include Oghenero Okoro as First Vice-President with 11,024 votes; Afam Okeke as General Secretary with 8,478 votes; Aghogho Gladys as Assistant General Secretary with 14,312 votes; and Chinelo Audrey Ofoegbunam as Welfare Secretary after polling 14,911 votes.
Badejo-Okusanya was not present when the results were declared. Explaining her absence, a member of her campaign team, Aminu Gadanya, SAN, said she was delayed by flight arrangements but remained committed to fostering reconciliation among all contestants and promoting unity within the association.
Speaking after the announcement, the outgoing NBA President, Afam Osigwe, SAN, revealed that the election survived attempts to undermine the process, including a cyberattack that forced the electoral committee to rebuild and migrate its information technology infrastructure to a more secure server.
He commended the resilience of the electoral committee and urged the newly elected leadership to govern with humility, while encouraging unsuccessful candidates to support the incoming administration in the interest of the legal profession.
Osigwe also disclosed that the ECNBA would undertake a comprehensive review of the electoral process, particularly the technical and cybersecurity challenges encountered, to strengthen future elections and enhance confidence in the association’s electoral system.