Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya wins NBA presidential race amid technical storm
Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, has emerged as the president-elect of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in a historic but deeply contentious election.
Following a grueling 24-hour electronic voting window that concluded Sunday morning, Badejo-Okusanya secured her place in history as only the second female president in the association’s 66-year existence.
According to the final tally on the Live Election Results dashboard maintained by the Electoral Committee of the NBA (ECNBA), Badejo-Okusanya outperformed her two male rivals, though official declaration from the electoral body is still awaited.
The numbers
Out of the 26,106 ballots cast in the presidential race, the final results broke down as follows:
- Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN: 12,317 votes (47.18%) – Winner
- Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe, SAN: 7,934 votes (30.39%) – Second Place
- Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN: 5,855 votes (22.43%) – Third Place
When officially inaugurated during the NBA Annual General Conference scheduled for August 21–28 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Badejo-Okusanya will succeed outgoing president Afam Osigwe to become the 33rd NBA president. She follows in the footsteps of Priscilla Kuye, who served as the first female president from 1991 to 1992, though the later wasn’t elected.
Cyberattacks, low turnout, and pre-election drama
The 2026 election will be remembered as much for its backstage drama as its historic outcome. Total voter turnout stood at a dismal 31.86%, with only 26,184 of the 82,172 registered voters casting ballots across the 13 national offices. This represents a steep drop from the 2024 elections, where over 40,000 lawyers participated.
The election’s integrity was heavily tested by several key disruptions:
Voting, originally set for midnight on Saturday, was pushed back to 7:35 a.m. The ECNBA blamed the delay on a “deliberate, coordinated, and sustained cyberattack” by external actors.
READ ALSO: NBA Elections 2026: General Secretary candidate raises alarm over ‘preloaded votes’
Just days before the polls, the Court of Appeal in Ibadan had to overturn an Oyo State High Court injunction that threatened to halt the election entirely.
The Managing Director of the electronic voting service provider was detained by the State Security Service (SSS) amid pre-election disputes, only being released on Thursday after strong condemnation from the NBA National Executive Council.
Runner-up alleges systemic failure, demands audit
The victory is already facing opposition. First runner-up Lateef Akangbe, SAN, has formally petitioned the ECNBA, calling the process a “catastrophic structural and technical collapse” and demanding an immediate suspension and independent forensic audit.
“The electronic voting portal became inaccessible to many of the association’s accredited voters, with users reporting authentication failures, error messages, and repeated timeouts,” Akangbe said in a protest letter to the ECNBA
Akangbe further alleged that:
- One-Time Passwords (OTPs) were sent via email instead of SMS, violating revised guidelines.
- The digital ballot paper allegedly displayed only Badejo-Okusanya’s photograph, omitting the images of the other candidates.
- System loopholes reportedly allowed some members to vote multiple times, undermining the “one member, one vote” mandate. Akangbe noted that even he was unable to cast his vote due to technical issues.
Who is Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya?
Despite the brewing controversy, Badejo-Okusanya brings a formidable resume to the leadership table.
| Milestone | Details |
| Education | B.A. in English & Law Degree from the University of Lagos |
| Call to Bar | 2002 |
| SAN Conferment | September 29, 2025 |
| Public Service | Senior Special Assistant on Justice Sector Reform to Lagos Governor Babatunde Fashola (2007) |
| Current Role | Founding Partner & Co-Head of Litigation at Africa Law Practice NG & Company (since 2017) |
Badejo-Okusanya is heavily decorated within the legal community. A recipient of the NBA Presidential Medal of Service (2024), she previously chaired the 2024 NBA Annual General Conference Planning Committee and has held numerous international memberships, including positions in the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) and the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA).
As the legal community awaits the official sign-off from the ECNBA, the incoming president faces the immediate task of uniting a fractured bar and addressing the digital vulnerabilities that continue to plague the NBA’s democratic processes.
