Female SAN, Badejo-Okusanya, Leads NBA Presidential Vote; Okeke Ahead for General Secretary

Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, a distinguished Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and the sole female contender, has solidified her leading position in the Nigerian Bar Association's presidential election. Concurrently, Mr. Afam Okeke is showing a strong lead over five other aspirants for the General Secretary role.

The 2026 NBA National Elections faced a rocky start but resumed voting at 7:35 am on Saturday. This followed the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA)'s decision to move the election portal to a more secure domain. The initial platform had suffered technical glitches early that morning.

Chairman of ECNBA 2026, Aham Ejelam (SAN), and Secretary, Ibrahim Aliyu Nassarawa, issued a statement attributing the disruption to a "deliberate, coordinated and sustained cyberattack." They asserted that the attack was designed to destabilize, sabotage, and undermine the electoral process. The ECNBA confirmed that its cybersecurity team, along with the Election Voting Service Provider (EVSP), swiftly enacted emergency security protocols to neutralize the threat and restore the system's full functionality. They assured members that no votes were processed during the downtime and that balloting only recommenced once the platform was secure. The committee maintained control over the election, with candidates, their agents, and observers continuously monitoring proceedings from the designated election centre.

Members were informed by the ECNBA that voting on the new portal would span 24 hours from its commencement, concluding by 7:35 am today. The NBA corroborated this via its official X handle on Saturday, stating, "Voting in the 2026 Nigerian Bar Association National Elections commenced at 7:35 am today, Saturday, 18 July 2026, and will remain open until 7:35 am tomorrow, Sunday, 19 July 2026."

Badejo-Okusanya is vying for the presidential seat alongside Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe (SAN) and Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro (SAN) to succeed the incumbent NBA President, Afam Osigwe (SAN). A total of 82,164 lawyers were registered to vote.

By 11 pm, real-time results from the 2026 NBA national elections’ voters’ dashboard indicated Badejo-Okusanya had garnered 11,352 votes, representing 46.69 percent of the 24,314 votes cast for the presidential election. Akangbe trailed with 7,415 votes (30.50 percent), while Akinboro secured 5,547 votes (22.81 percent).

In the General Secretary contest, Afam Okeke led with 4,054 votes. His closest rival, Dr. Rapulu Ernest Nduka, had 3,452 votes. Chidi Ezenwafor was in third place with 2,553 votes, followed by Okey Leo Ohagba with 2,317. Nnaebuka Onyebuchi Nwaeze and Barth Okoye-Aniche lagged significantly with 544 and 396 votes, respectively.

The final results are expected to be announced this morning, provided no further technical issues arise. Should Badejo-Okusanya emerge victorious, she would make history as the association's first elected female President. The first female to hold the NBA presidency, Mrs. Priscilla Kuye, assumed the role of First Vice President when the elected President, Chief Clement Akpamgbo, was appointed Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice by then Military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (rtd.).

Earlier, NBA President Osigwe had refuted claims of attempts to manipulate or interfere with the election. Addressing journalists in Abuja on Friday, Osigwe emphasized the ECNBA's independence and denied issuing any directives. He also dismissed allegations of backing a particular candidate, labeling them as politically motivated and unsubstantiated. The election proceeded after weeks of contention regarding its scheduled date, with some presidential aspirants and stakeholders questioning the process's integrity, advocating for postponement, demanding mandatory National Identification Number (NIN) verification for voters, and accusing the NBA leadership of attempting to influence the outcome. Osigwe countered these allegations, asserting that only the Electoral Committee possessed the constitutional authority to conduct the election. He further stated that past claims of NBA election manipulation had never been legally proven and disregarded suggestions that his personal voting preference could sway the election's outcome.