Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, First Female to be Elected NBA President

*Atiku sends congratulations as Pinheiro urges unity

Chuks Okocha, Alex Enumah in Abuja and Wale Igbintade in Lagos

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.

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.

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.

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.

Atiku Congratulate New NBA President

Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubukar, has congratulated Badejo-Okusanya as the newly elected NBA president.
In a statement personally signed, he said, ”I congratulate Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, on her election as the 33rd President of the Nigerian Bar Association.
”Her victory reflects the confidence of the Bar in her leadership and marks another significant milestone for women in the legal profession.”
He said that the NBA remained a critical pillar in the defence of constitutional democracy, the rule of law, human rights and judicial independence.
”I urge the new leadership to uphold these values with courage and independence while advancing equal access to justice for all Nigerians. I wish Mrs. Badejo-Okusanya and her team a successful and impactful tenure,” he said.

Pinheiro Urges Badejo-Okusanya to Unite Bar

Prominent legal luminary, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, has challenged the newly elected President of the NBA, Badejo-Okusanya, to make organisational unity her immediate priority as she takes the helm of Africa’s largest legal body.
In a congratulatory message, Pinheiro described Badejo-Okusanya’s victory as a historic milestone that reflected the confidence of members of the legal profession in her vision, leadership and unwavering commitment to the Bar.
He expressed confidence that the President-elect would bring to office the same excellence, inclusiveness and bold leadership that have distinguished her career.

Pinheiro stressed that the foremost challenge before the incoming NBA President was to heal the divisions within the Association, noting that the Bar was currently polarised along generational, ideological and personal lines.
According to him, rebuilding trust and fostering a cohesive, inclusive and purpose-driven Bar should be at the heart of her administration, as a united Association would be better positioned to defend the rule of law, promote the welfare of lawyers and serve as a stronger voice for justice and good governance in Nigeria.

“The Bar is currently polarised along several lines—generational, ideological and sometimes personal. Healing these divisions and building a truly cohesive, inclusive and purpose-driven Bar must be at the heart of your agenda,” Pinheiro stated.
He added that a united NBA would be better equipped to protect the rule of law, advance the welfare of lawyers and effectively champion the cause of justice and good governance in the country.