Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, has been elected as the next President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), becoming only the second woman to lead the association in its 66-year history.
Badejo-Okusanya secured 12,317 votes, representing 47.18 per cent of the ballots cast in the presidential election conducted through a 24-hour electronic voting process. She defeated fellow Senior Advocates of Nigeria Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe, who polled 7,934 votes, and Olumuyiwa Akinboro, who garnered 5,855 votes.
The election recorded 26,184 votes across all national offices, reflecting a voter turnout of 31.86 per cent from the association’s 82,172 registered voters.
Upon inauguration, Badejo-Okusanya will become the 33rd President of the NBA, succeeding Afam Osigwe. She will also be the first woman to occupy the office since Priscilla Kuye, who served as NBA president between 1991 and 1992.
The new national officers are expected to be inaugurated during the NBA Annual General Conference scheduled for August 21 to 28, 2026, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The election, however, was marked by controversies, including a delay in the commencement of voting after the electronic voting platform reportedly came under a cyberattack. The poll also recorded a lower turnout than the 2024 election.
Runner-up Lateef Akangbe raised concerns over the credibility of the exercise, alleging technical glitches, inaccessible voting portals, authentication failures, irregularities in the voting process, and breaches of the association’s electronic voting guidelines. He called for the suspension of the election and an independent forensic audit of the voting platform.
Despite the concerns, the election proceeded, with Badejo-Okusanya emerging victorious.
A graduate of the University of Lagos, Badejo-Okusanya was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2002 and was elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2025. She has held several leadership positions within the NBA and is a founding partner at Africa Law Practice NG & Company, where she co-heads the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice. She has also served on several local and international legal bodies and was awarded the NBA Presidential Medal of Service in 2024.
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