Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Oyinkansola Badejo-Okunsanya, has been elected as the next President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) after emerging victorious in the association’s presidential election.
Badejo-Okunsanya secured 12,317 votes to defeat fellow Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe, who received 7,934 votes, and Olumuyiwa Akinboro, who polled 5,855 votes. A total of 26,184 lawyers participated in the electronic election out of over 82,000 registered voters.
Her victory makes her the first woman to be elected President of the NBA through a competitive election. In her acceptance speech, she pledged to unite the association, improve the welfare of lawyers, promote professional development, and lead with integrity, accountability, and inclusiveness.
She described her victory as a mandate to build a stronger and more inclusive Bar, assuring members that her administration would focus on creating better opportunities for legal practitioners across the country.
The president-elect also called for reconciliation after the closely contested election, urging members to put the contest behind them and work together for the progress of the legal profession.
However, the election sparked controversy as defeated candidates Lateef Akangbe and Olumuyiwa Akinboro rejected the outcome, alleging that the process was marred by widespread technical failures and irregularities.
Voting was delayed after the NBA Electoral Committee disclosed that its electronic voting platform came under a cyberattack, forcing a change in the voting schedule. Throughout the exercise, many lawyers reported problems including delayed one-time passwords (OTPs), authentication failures, and difficulty accessing the voting portal.
Akangbe claimed that thousands of lawyers were unable to vote because of the technical issues, questioning the integrity of the election and the preparedness of the electronic voting system.
Akinboro also dismissed the election as lacking credibility, citing alleged irregularities, poor planning, and failures in the voting process. He maintained that the reported cyberattack did not adequately explain the various problems experienced during the election.
Outgoing NBA President Afam Osigwe appealed for calm, urging members to avoid actions that could deepen divisions within the association. He encouraged lawyers to support efforts aimed at strengthening the NBA and improving future electoral processes.
