The Nigerian Bar Association has announced the successful completion of its 2026 national officers election, with Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya emerging as the winner of the presidential seat. Her victory makes her only the second woman to lead the association, a result that was presented as a historic moment for the country's legal profession.
According to the association's electoral committee, Badejo-Okusanya polled 12,317 votes, representing 47.18 per cent of the total ballots cast. She defeated her closest challenger, Lateef Akangbe, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, who scored 7,934 votes, or 30.39 per cent of the vote, in a contest that drew several senior members of the bar.
The election was conducted entirely through electronic voting over a 24-hour window, opening in the early hours of Saturday and closing shortly after seven o'clock on Sunday morning. Organisers said the online process was designed to allow lawyers across the country to cast their ballots without having to travel to a central venue.
The electoral committee put the number of registered voters at 82,172, of whom 26,184 took part, giving a turnout of 31.86 per cent. Officials described the exercise as concluded and the results as ready to be finalised once formally approved by the relevant bodies of the association.
In his closing remarks, the outgoing president acknowledged that some individuals had attempted to compromise the voting system during the exercise, but stressed that the attempt failed and that the process held. He described the period as a trying time for the bar, while adding that the leadership was ready to hand over to those newly elected.
Reacting to her election, Badejo-Okusanya described the outcome as a collective triumph for lawyers rather than a personal one. She congratulated her fellow contestants, called for unity among members and pledged to lead with integrity, fairness and accountability during her tenure.
The president-elect said her engagements with lawyers across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory would guide the priorities of her administration. She stressed the need to promote justice, strengthen the legal profession and uphold the rule of law, promising a bar in which lawyers can earn better, live better and practise better.