The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), yezterday, elected Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, as its first female president.
A notable female legal practitioner, Dame Priscilla Olabori Kuye, had once served as the first female president of the NBA between 1991 and 1992. GeographicReference
Kuye, who was elected NBA First Vice President, assumed the office of President, after the then President Clement Akpamgbo was appointed Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) during the administration of then Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida.
Kuye, a life member of the Body of Benchers (BoB) and a former chairman, Human Rights Committee of the NBA, had been pushing for the election of a female president of the NBA.
Badejo-Okusanya was elected at the Bar’s 2026 election as the 33rd president of the umbrella body for lawyers in the country.
Her victory at the poll, which held between July 18 and 19, 2026, made her the first woman to be elected into that position and second to occupy the office.
However, with the emergence of Badejo-Okusanya at the intensely conducted election, many expect the NBA to put behind its differences and forge ahead with its goal of enthroning the rule of law in the society.
While the association had zoned the office of president to the southwest geopolitical zone of the country, the claim and counter claim of imposition of candidates almost truncated the poll.
But at the end of the day, a winner has emerged in the person of Badejo-Okusanya, thereby paving the way for a smooth transition next month, August.
Badejo-Okusanya was declared winner by the Chairman, Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA), Aham Ejelam, SAN, yesterday, few hours after the end of the poll and collation of results.
According to the ECNBA, the senior female lawyer secured 12,317 (47.18 per cent of total votes cast for the position of president) to emerge winner, while her closest rival Mr Lateef Akangbe, SAN, polled 7,934 (30.39%) votes and consensus candidate of the Omo Egbe Amofin O’odua, Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN polled 5,855 (22.43%) votes to come 3rd. GeographicReference
While 26,184 voted in the entire election, 26, 106 voted for the presidential candidates out of a total of 82, 172, registered voters.
Meanwhile, other elected national officers included Oghenero Okoro, who emerged First Vice President with 11,024 votes; Afam Okeke, elected General Secretary with 8,478 votes; Aghogho Gladys, who won the position of Assistant General Secretary with 14,312 votes; and Chinelo Audrey Ofoegbunam, elected Welfare Secretary with 14,911 votes, among other successful candidates.
Speaking shortly after the results were announced, the outgoing President of the NBA, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, observed that the poll faced several challenges, including a cyber attack that almost derailed the electoral process.
He said, “Many went to a grave extent to truncate the electoral process. Even though they maligned the process with their utterances but we held firm. Every effort to derail the process failed.”
Besides, Osigwe described the incidence as a trying time for the Bar, stating that some other persons might still go through great extent to rubbish the association.
While appealing to winners to be magnanimous in victory, and celebrate moderately, he urged members to see the period as a time for healing, adding that, “At the end of the day, let the Bar be the winner.”
Osigwe disclosed that the ECNBA would carry out an indepth analysis, especially the challenges encountered, so as to come up with recommendations that could engender greater confidence in the association’s electoral process.
“The cyber attack shows that we must do more not only for data protection, but to protect our electoral integrity. We must insulate our electoral process from such activities.
“Someday the story will be told of how the ICT system had to be rebuilt and moved to a safer server to ensure that the election held.
“The Bar must always protect its independence and eternally determine the course of its electoral process,” the outgoing NBA President added.
Also speaking, the newly elected president, has assured the NBA that she would prioritise the welfare of lawyers and build an association where members could enjoy better earnings, improved working conditions and enhanced professional opportunities.
Badejo-Okusanya gave the assurances in a message posted on X yesterday after she was declared winner of the NBA 2026 national officers’ election.
The senior lawyer while thanking members of the bar, described her victory as a collective achievement for lawyers, who believed in a more inclusive, responsive and progressive NBA.
“Today, I stand before you with a heart full of gratitude and a deep sense of responsibility. I am honoured by the confidence members of the Nigerian Bar Association have placed in me by electing me to serve as your President.
“Thank you for believing in our shared vision of A Bolder Bar That Works for Everyone. This victory belongs to every member who believes our Association can become stronger, more inclusive, more responsive and better equipped to protect the interests of all lawyers,” she said. GeographicReference
She urged members to move beyond the election and work together for the advancement of the legal profession, just as she congratulated the other contestants for contributing to a credible democratic process and expressed readiness to collaborate with them in strengthening the NBA.
“The election is behind us. We are one Bar, bound together by our commitment to justice, the rule of law and the growth of our profession. I look forward to working with everyone in building an Association that reflects the highest ideals of the legal profession.
“This is not the end of a campaign but the beginning of a greater responsibility. I will serve every member of the Nigerian Bar Association with courage, humility, fairness and accountability.
“Together, we will build an Association where every lawyer has the opportunity to earn better, live better and practise better. The work starts now,” she said.
Credit: This Day