NBA Election: ECNBA Releases Voter Roll, Upholding Constitutional Mandate

The Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) on Monday, July 19, 2026, made public the list of members who cast their votes in the recently concluded election for the prestigious association. This action was taken within the timeline stipulated by the NBA's constitution and sorted by individual branches.

A memorandum issued by the ECNBA, dated July 19, 2026, and addressed to "all candidates, eligible voters, agents, observers and branch chairmen," affirmed the committee's adherence to its constitutional obligations. The memo, co-signed by the electoral body's Chairman, Aham Ejelam, SAN, and Secretary, Ibrahim Aliyu Nasarawa, partly read: “Distinguished colleagues, pursuant to the provisions of Part V of the Constitution of the Nigerian Bar Association, which mandates the Electoral Committee, within twelve (12) hours after the close of voting, to publish the list of voters from each of the branches and transmit same by email to all candidates at the election, the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) hereby publishes the list of members who successfully voted in the 2026 NBA National Elections, sorted by branch.”

The committee further explained that the published document details the names of members who successfully exercised their franchise, organized by their respective branches. It also noted that certain personal information was redacted to comply with data privacy laws and to safeguard voter confidentiality. The ECNBA emphasized that this publication fulfills its constitutional mandate.

According to the ECNBA, the document provides the names of members who successfully voted in the 2026 NBA National Elections, listed alphabetically by branch, along with each voter's branch affiliation. It also includes the total number of voters per branch and the overall national count of participants in the election. The committee confirmed that this release was in strict accordance with Part V of the NBA Constitution and was transmitted via email to all candidates.

“Part V of the NBA Constitution expressly mandates that the Electoral Committee shall, within twelve (12) hours after the close of voting, publish the list of voters from each of the branches and shall also transmit same by email to all candidates at the election. This publication is made in direct compliance with that constitutional provision. The ECNBA reaffirms its commitment to transparency, openness, and accountability in the administration of this election,” the committee stated.

This development follows the election of Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, as the NBA’s first female president through an electoral process. While Dame Priscilla Olabori Kuye, a prominent female legal practitioner, previously held the office as the first female president between 1991 and 1992, she assumed the role after the then-President Clement Akpamgbo was appointed Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) under General Ibrahim Babangida's regime. Kuye, a life member of the Body of Benchers (BoB) and former chairman of the NBA’s Human Rights Committee, has been a vocal advocate for a female NBA president.

Badejo-Okusanya's victory in the fiercely contested Bar’s 2026 election, which took place from July 18 to 19, 2026, marks her as the 33rd president of the national body for lawyers. Her emergence makes her the first woman to be directly elected to the position and the second overall to occupy the office.