Badejo-Okusanya Elected 33rd NBA President After Keenly Contested Poll
By Nafiu Muhammad Lema
Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya has been elected the 33rd President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), emerging victorious in the association’s national election conducted by the Electoral Committee of the NBA (ECNBA).
Announcing the results on Sunday at the NBA National Secretariat in Abuja, ECNBA Chairman, Aham Ejelam, disclosed that Badejo-Okusanya secured 12,317 votes (47.18%) to defeat her closest rival, Lateef Akangbe, who garnered 7,934 votes (30.39%). The third presidential candidate, Olumuyiwa Akinboro, received 5,855 votes (22.43%).
According to the electoral committee, 26,106 lawyers voted out of 82,172 registered voters, representing a voter turnout of 31.86 percent.
Other officials elected into the NBA national executive include Oghenero Okoro as First Vice President with 11,024 votes, Afam Okeke as General Secretary with 8,478 votes, Aghogho Gladys as Assistant General Secretary with 14,312 votes, and Chinelo Ofoegbunam as Welfare Secretary after polling 14,911 votes.
Reacting after the declaration of the results, outgoing NBA President Afam Osigwe praised the electoral committee for successfully conducting the exercise despite attempts to disrupt the process, revealing that the association’s election infrastructure came under a cyberattack.
“Our colleagues planned to truncate the election but we stood firm. Every effort to derail this process failed. This is a trying time for the Bar,” Osigwe said.
He urged the newly elected officers to lead with humility while calling on unsuccessful candidates to support the incoming leadership in the interest of the association.
“To those who won, be magnanimous in victory; for those who lost, there is always another day. The cyber attack shows that we must do more in data protection. Let us collectively do things in an acceptable manner,” he stated.
Osigwe further stressed the importance of preserving the unity and independence of the Nigerian Bar Association.
“The unity of the Bar cannot and should never be negotiated. Winners should extend the hands of fellowship to those who lost and have a united front to move the Bar forward,” he added.
The outgoing NBA president also disclosed that the ECNBA would carry out a comprehensive review of the election, particularly the cybersecurity challenges encountered, with the aim of strengthening future electoral processes and improving the association’s digital security.
