Badejo-Okusanya Wins NBA Presidential Election with 12,317 Votes
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has elected Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), as its next president after she secured 12,317 votes in the election that officially ended at 7:34 a.m. on Sunday. The election was conducted via electronic voting over a 24-hour period starting at 7:35 a.m. on Saturday.
Badejo-Okusanya, the only female candidate among three presidential contenders, received 47.18% of the 26,106 ballots cast in the presidential race. Her closest rival, Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe (SAN), garnered 7,934 votes (30.39%), while Olumuyiwa Akinboro (SAN) came third with 5,855 votes (22.43%). The results were displayed on the Live Election Results dashboard maintained by the Electoral Committee of the NBA (ECNBA), which updated every 10 seconds throughout the voting period. Premium Times monitored the dashboard for over an hour after voting ended to confirm the final tally.
Voter Turnout and Historical Context
A total of 26,184 votes were cast across 13 national officers' elections, representing a 31.86% voter turnout out of 82,172 registered voters. This marks a decline from the 2024 election, where over 40,000 members voted. In that election, outgoing president Afam Osigwe secured more than 20,000 votes to win. Badejo-Okusanya's victory makes her the 33rd president of the NBA and the second woman to lead the association in its 66-year history, following Priscilla Kuye, who served as president from 1991 to 1992.
The new national officers will be inaugurated during the NBA's Annual General Conference scheduled for August 21 and August 28 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Outgoing president Afam Osigwe and his executive team are expected to hand over at the conference.
Controversies and Delays Mark the Election
The election was plagued by controversies and technical issues. Voting was scheduled to begin at midnight on Saturday but was delayed until 7:35 a.m. due to what the ECNBA described as a “deliberate, coordinated and sustained cyberattack” on the voting platform by external actors. The election process faced criticism over lack of transparency, a recurring issue since the NBA adopted electronic voting in 2016. Many called for postponement, citing concerns about the composition of the ECNBA and the credibility of the voter register.
An intervention by Attorney-General of the Federation Lateef Fagbemi failed to resolve the disputes. The Court of Appeal in Ibadan overturned a restraining order from the Oyo State High Court that had barred the ECNBA from conducting the election. Additionally, the managing director of the service provider overseeing the electronic voting platform was detained by the State Security Service (SSS) amid allegations. The NBA's National Executive Council condemned the detention and demanded the official's release, which was secured later that week. The association confirmed the election would proceed as scheduled on Thursday.
Runner-Up Alleges Irregularities
Before voting ended, runner-up Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe alleged irregularities in a protest letter to the ECNBA, describing the election as a “catastrophic structural and technical collapse.” He claimed the electronic voting portal was inaccessible to many accredited voters, with authentication failures, error messages, and timeouts. Akangbe also questioned reports that votes cast before the outage could be canceled, undermining confidence. He alleged that one-time passwords (OTPs) were sent via email instead of SMS, contrary to guidelines, and that only Badejo-Okusanya's photograph appeared on the ballot, while his and Akinboro's were omitted or failed to render.
Akangbe urged the ECNBA to suspend the election, preserve records, commission an independent forensic audit, and postpone the poll. After voting ended, he claimed to have received complaints from lawyers unable to vote and alleged that the system allowed some members to vote multiple times. He called on eligible lawyers to continue trying to vote as long as the window remained open.
Profile of the President-Elect
Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2002 after obtaining a law degree from the University of Lagos, where she also earned a Bachelor of Arts in English. She began her career at Olaniwun Ajayi LP and became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria on September 29, 2025. In 2007, she served as Senior Special Assistant on Justice Sector Reform to Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola, working under Attorney-General Olasupo Shasore.
She is a member of several international arbitration bodies, including the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), the International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA), the African Arbitration Association, ArbitralWomen, the International Bar Association (IBA), the Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA), the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), and a Life Member of the African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA). She also serves on the Board of the Lagos Court of Arbitration (LCA).
Her bar activities include roles as Assistant Secretary of the NBA Lagos Branch, Delegate to the 2006 NBA Elections, and member of various committees. She chaired the 2024 Annual General Conference Planning Committee and was co-opted to the NBA National Executive Council in 2022. She received the NBA Presidential Medal of Service in August 2024. Badejo-Okusanya is a founding partner of Africa Law Practice NG & Company, where she is Co-Head of Litigation and Dispute Resolution. The firm is a leading commercial law practice with affiliations across Africa.
