BREAKING: Badejo-Okusanya Emerges 33rd NBA President

• Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya has been elected the 33rd NBA President, becoming only the second woman in the association’s history to hold the office after defeating two senior lawyers in the 2026 NBA election.

Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, has been elected the 33rd President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), becoming only the second woman to lead the association in its history.

Badejo-Okusanya secured 12,317 votes (47.18%) in the 2026 NBA national election, defeating fellow Senior Advocates Lateef Akangbe, who polled 7,934 votes, and Olumuyiwa Akinboro, who garnered 5,855 votes.

The results were announced on Sunday by the Chairman of the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA), Aham Ejelam (SAN), following an election that experienced technical disruptions and a cyberattack.

With her victory, Badejo-Okusanya will serve a two-year term from 2026 to 2028, succeeding Afam Osigwe (SAN). She also becomes the second female NBA President, following Priscilla Kuye, who led the association between 1991 and 1992.

A total of 26,106 votes were cast in the election.

Other officials elected include Oghenero Okoro as First Vice-President, Afam Okeke as General Secretary, Aghogho Gladys as Assistant General Secretary, and Chinelo Audrey Ofoegbunam as Welfare Secretary.

Although Badejo-Okusanya was absent during the announcement of the results due to a flight delay, a member of her campaign team, Aminu Gadanya (SAN), said she remains committed to uniting the Bar and extending a hand of friendship to her opponents.

Speaking after the declaration, outgoing NBA President Afam Osigwe (SAN) revealed that the election survived a cyberattack that forced the electoral committee to rebuild and migrate its ICT infrastructure to a more secure server.

He urged the newly elected executives to be magnanimous in victory and called on unsuccessful candidates to support the new leadership, stressing that the unity of the Nigerian Bar Association must remain paramount.

The ECNBA is expected to review the electoral process and strengthen cybersecurity measures to safeguard future NBA elections.