Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, has emerged as the frontrunner in the ongoing Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) presidential election, according to early results released on Saturday, as legal practitioners across the country await the declaration of the final outcome.
The preliminary figures, released at approximately 11:33 a.m., indicate that Badejo-Okusanya has secured a significant lead over her two opponents in what has been a closely watched contest for the leadership of Nigeria’s foremost legal professional body.
According to results monitored by PUNCH Online, Badejo-Okusanya polled 4,860 votes, representing 41.77 per cent of the ballots counted at the time of the update. Her closest rival, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe, garnered 3,851 votes, accounting for 33.10 per cent of the votes cast.
Another contender in the race, Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro (SAN), received 2,924 votes, representing 25.13 per cent of the total votes counted.
Although the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association had yet to announce the final results as of the time this report was filed, the early tally of approximately 11,600 votes suggested that Badejo-Okusanya had established a commanding lead in the contest.
The election has attracted widespread attention within Nigeria’s legal community, coming against the backdrop of weeks of debates and concerns surrounding the credibility of the electoral process.
The race has been one of the most closely contested NBA presidential elections in recent years, with candidates and stakeholders actively canvassing support while also raising issues relating to transparency, voter verification and the administration of the poll.
Several legal practitioners had earlier expressed concerns about the conduct of the election, questioning aspects of the voting process and urging the Electoral Committee to introduce additional safeguards to strengthen public confidence in the outcome.
Some stakeholders called for the postponement of the election to allow more time for the resolution of perceived technical and procedural issues. Others advocated the mandatory use of the National Identification Number (NIN) for voter verification, arguing that such a measure would help prevent irregularities and ensure that only eligible members of the association participated in the exercise.
The controversies surrounding the election also gave rise to allegations that the leadership of the association was attempting to influence the outcome by favouring a particular candidate.
However, the Nigerian Bar Association consistently denied the allegations, insisting that the electoral process remained independent and was being managed exclusively by the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA), which is constitutionally empowered to organise and supervise elections into national offices.
Barely 24 hours before the release of the early election results, NBA President, Afam Osigwe (SAN), publicly dismissed claims that he was interfering in the electoral process or attempting to manipulate the outcome of the election.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Friday, Osigwe rejected allegations that he had endorsed or was working to secure victory for any of the presidential candidates.
He maintained that the Electoral Committee operated independently of the NBA leadership and did not receive directives from his office regarding the conduct of the election or the management of the voting process.
According to him, suggestions that he could influence the outcome of the election were unfounded and politically motivated.
Osigwe emphasised that the NBA Constitution clearly assigns responsibility for conducting elections to the Electoral Committee, stressing that neither the President nor other elected officers of the association possessed constitutional authority to interfere with its operations.
He further argued that accusations of election manipulation within the NBA had become recurring political rhetoric that had not been substantiated by any judicial pronouncement.
The NBA President stated that despite repeated claims over the years that the association’s elections had been manipulated, none of the allegations had been successfully proven before a court of competent jurisdiction.
He also dismissed suggestions that his personal voting preference or political relationships within the legal profession could determine the eventual winner of the election.
According to Osigwe, members of the Nigerian Bar Association are highly independent-minded professionals who cast their votes based on personal convictions rather than external influence.
His comments came after weeks of intense campaigns by the presidential candidates, who traversed different branches of the association across the country to present their manifestos and engage members on issues affecting the legal profession.
The election has generated considerable interest because the NBA remains one of Nigeria’s most influential professional organisations, with its leadership often playing a significant role in national conversations on constitutionalism, judicial independence, the rule of law, human rights and governance.
Whoever eventually emerges as the association’s next president will inherit the responsibility of leading thousands of lawyers across Nigeria while addressing critical issues confronting the legal profession, including judicial reforms, legal education, professional ethics, access to justice and the welfare of legal practitioners.
As vote collation continues, attention remains focused on the Electoral Committee, which is expected to announce the official final results after completing the verification and collation process.
Until then, the early figures place Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya in a strong position, with legal practitioners across the country closely monitoring developments to see whether her early lead will translate into victory in the race for the presidency of the Nigerian Bar Association.
