Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), has accepted victory in the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) presidential election held on July 19-20, 2025, even as her main challenger, Tobenna Akangbe, rejected the outcome, calling the exercise shambolic and a shame to the Bar.
Victory and Acceptance
In a statement shared on her social media accounts on Sunday, Badejo-Okusanya thanked lawyers and members of her campaign for their support. She expressed appreciation for their belief in her vision of “A Bolder Bar That Works for Everyone,” her campaign slogan that captured the vision she promised to pursue if elected. She pledged inclusive leadership and improved welfare of lawyers.
Badejo-Okusanya, the only female among three presidential candidates, polled 12,317 votes to emerge winner. The election was held through electronic voting over 24 hours, from 7:35 a.m. on Saturday to 7:35 a.m. on Sunday. She secured 47.18 per cent of the 26,106 ballots cast, according to the final tally on the Live Election Results dashboard maintained by the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA).
Akangbe secured 7,934 votes (30.39 per cent) to place second, while Olumuyiwa Akinboro, another SAN, polled 5,855 votes (22.43 per cent) to finish third.
Other Elected National Officers
Other national officers elected during the poll include: Oghenero Okoro as first vice-president, Egya Nuhu John as second vice president, Pepple Irene as third vice president, Adam Okeke as general secretary, Aghogho Gladys Okpomor as assistant general secretary, and Esther Ifeoma Jimoh as treasurer. Also elected were Audrey Chinelo Ofoegbunam as welfare secretary, Prince I. Azubuike as publicity secretary, and Uwomano Anthony Junior Aki as assistant public secretary.
Three representatives to the General Council of the Bar were elected: Chidi Betsy Nnaji (Eastern Zone), Rotimi Komolafe (Western Zone), and Huwaila Muhammad Ibrahim (Northern Zone). The Chairman of the ECNBA, Aham Ejelam (SAN), officially announced the results on Sunday at the NBA National Secretariat in Abuja.
Acceptance Speech and Pledge
In her acceptance statement, the president-elect, elevated to the SAN rank in September 2024, stated that her victory belonged to every lawyer who believed the association could become stronger, more inclusive, and more responsive. She congratulated her opponents for enriching the democratic process and pledged to work with them in the interest of the association.
She promised to lead “with integrity, courage, humility, fairness and accountability,” adding that she would serve every member and work towards an association where lawyers could “earn better, live better and practise better.” Badejo-Okusanya will be sworn in as the 33rd NBA president at the Annual General Conference scheduled for 21 to 28 August in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Background of the President-Elect
Badejo-Okusanya was called to the Nigerian Bar 24 years ago in 2002, after obtaining her Law degree from the University of Lagos, where she previously earned a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) degree in English. She will be the second woman to hold the position of NBA president in the association’s 66-year history. The first was Priscilla Kuye, who served between 1991 and 1992, 35 years ago.
Runner-Up Rejects Election Results
Tobenna Akangbe, who placed second, rejected the election, calling it “shambolic” and “a shame to the Bar” in a statement on his X handle shortly after the poll ended. While thanking lawyers for participating despite challenges, he said thousands of lawyers stayed awake through the night trying to vote but were unable to due to repeated authentication failures, error messages, and the collapse of the electronic voting platform.
Akangbe questioned the ECNBA’s decision to move the election from 20 July to 18 July without the approval of the NBA National Executive Council. He also stated that an agreement reached on 15 July to postpone the poll by one week to allow lawyers to become familiar with the newly introduced SMS authentication system was not honoured. He argued that the voting platform collapsed shortly after voting commenced, and the ECNBA’s explanation of a cyberattack failed to explain what he described as poor preparation and inadequate capacity.
Akangbe claimed he was unable to cast his own vote despite repeated attempts, and that efforts by the ECNBA chairperson and the NBA president to assist him with multiple voting links were unsuccessful. He argued that the approximately 27 per cent voter turnout reflected voter suppression rather than voter apathy, saying thousands of willing lawyers were locked out due to technical failures.
He repeated allegations that the ECNBA breached its revised electronic voting guidelines by sending one-time passwords (OTPs) through email instead of SMS, contrary to assurances given less than 24 hours before the election. He also maintained that the electronic ballot initially displayed only Badejo-Okusanya’s photograph, while the photographs of the other two candidates were either omitted or failed to render until after concerns were raised. Akangbe alleged credible reports of multiple voting, contrary to the principle of one member, one vote, and argued the election could not pass any credibility test.
He said he was reviewing all available options with his team and would announce next steps after completing that process. Before voting ended, Akangbe had written to the ECNBA demanding immediate suspension of the election, preservation of all electronic voting records, an independent forensic audit of the voting platform, and postponement until concerns were addressed.
Outgoing President Hails Election
Outgoing NBA President Afam Osigwe, speaking on Sunday at the NBA secretariat in Abuja after the results were declared, hailed the election. He said the election survived a coordinated cyberattack that nearly disrupted the electronic voting process. The election suffered glitches that delayed voting for more than seven hours on Saturday. Osigwe said the ECNBA and its technical team were able to migrate to a secure server to ensure the election was concluded.
“This is a time for healing. At the end of the day, the Bar must be the ultimate winner,” he said, while urging newly elected officers to be magnanimous in victory. He called on members to put the contest behind them in the interest of the legal profession. Osigwe also promised that the ECNBA will conduct a comprehensive review of the election to draw lessons from the challenges, particularly the cyberattack, encountered during the process. He said the findings of such review would help strengthen the association’s future elections.
