Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, has been elected the 33rd President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), becoming the association’s second female president, Peak Newspaper reports.
She emerged victorious in the 2026 NBA national officers’ election, defeating two other Senior Advocates of Nigeria. The results were announced on Sunday at the NBA National Secretariat in Abuja by the Chairman of the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA), Aham Ejelam, SAN.
Badejo-Okusanya secured 12,317 votes (47.18%) to defeat Lateef Akangbe, SAN, who polled 7,934 votes (30.39%), while Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN, garnered 5,855 votes (22.43%). A total of 26,106 votes were cast in the election.
The election, which experienced delays due to technical challenges and a cyber attack, will see Badejo-Okusanya serve a two-year tenure from 2026 to 2028.
Her victory makes her the second woman to lead the NBA, following Priscilla Kuye, who served as the association’s president between 1991 and 1992.
Other officials elected 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 Audrey Ofoegbunam as Welfare Secretary with 14,911 votes.
Badejo-Okusanya was absent during the announcement of the results. A member of her campaign team, Aminu Gadanya, SAN, explained that her absence was due to a flight delay and said the president-elect was committed to promoting unity by extending a hand of fellowship to all contestants.
Speaking after the declaration, outgoing NBA President Afam Osigwe, SAN, revealed that the election survived attempts to undermine the process, including a cyberattack that forced the electoral committee to migrate its ICT infrastructure to a more secure server.
