Badejo-Okunsanya: NBA President-elect

Badejo-Okunsanya elected president Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) with 12,317 votes, representing 47.18 per cent of the total votes cast.

Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Oyinkansola Badejo-Okunsanya, has been declared the President-elect of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) after emerging ahead of her rivals as voting in the 2026 NBA national election came to an end.

The election, which was conducted electronically, concluded after the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) extended voting until 7:35 a.m. on Sunday following widespread complaints of technical difficulties and reports that many eligible lawyers were unable to cast their ballots within the initial timeframe.

Results available at the close of voting showed Badejo-Okunsanya leading the presidential race with 12,317 votes, representing 47.18 per cent of the total votes cast. Her closest challenger, Lateef Akangbe (SAN), polled 7,934 votes, while Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro (SAN) finished third with 5,855 votes.

The outcome places Badejo-Okunsanya in a commanding position to become the next president of the association and the first woman to hold the office once the Electoral Committee formally announces the final result.

However, as of the time of filing this report, the ECNBA had yet to officially declare the election concluded or formally announce Badejo-Okunsanya as the winner, despite the conclusion of voting and the available figures indicating an unassailable lead.

Three contestants for NBA presidency: Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN // Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe, SAN, FCIArb // Oyinkansola Badejo-Okunsanya, SAN
Three contestants for NBA presidency: Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN // Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe, SAN, FCIArb // Oyinkansola Badejo-Okunsanya, SAN
The election attracted significant attention after it was disrupted by technical challenges that delayed the commencement of voting. The poll had originally been scheduled to begin at midnight on Saturday but was postponed after the ECNBA disclosed that the electronic voting platform had come under what it described as a “deliberate, coordinated and sustained cyberattack” aimed at disrupting the electoral process.

Following the disruption, the committee apologised to candidates, agents, consultants, observers and eligible voters before announcing that the voting platform had been restored and migrated to a new secure domain to strengthen the integrity of the election.

“As part of heightened security measures introduced to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process, the voting portal has been migrated to a new secured domain,” the committee said while announcing the resumption of voting.