BREAKING: NBA Elects As New President Female SAN Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya
Female Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya (SAN), today emerged winner of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) presidential election.
Mrs Badejo-Okusanya secured 12,317 votes, representing 47.18 percent of the 26,106 ballots cast in the presidential election, according to the final results on the live election dashboard maintained by the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA).
Her closest challenger, Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe, polled 7,934 votes (30.39 percent), while Olumuyiwa Akinboro received 5,855 votes (22.43 percent).
A partner at Africa Law Practice NG & Company (ALP NG & Co.), Badejo-Okusanya co-heads the firm’s litigation and dispute resolution practice.
She was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2002 after obtaining a law degree from the University of Lagos, where she had earlier earned a degree in English.
Although the ECNBA had yet to make a formal declaration as of the time of filing this report, voting ended at 7:34 a.m. on Sunday after a 24-hour electronic exercise that began at 7:35 a.m. on Saturday.
When inaugurated, Badejo-Okusanya will become the NBA’s 33rd president and the second woman to occupy the office after Priscilla Kuye, who served as the association’s president between 1991 and 1992.
The new national officers are expected to be inaugurated during the NBA Annual General Conference scheduled for August 21 to 28 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Outgoing president Afam Osigwe is expected to hand over to the new leadership at the conference.
The election recorded 26,184 votes across the 13 national offices, representing a voter turnout of 31.86 percent out of 82,172 registered voters.
In her acceptance speech, she said:
A BOLD MESSAGE OF GRATITUDE.
Today, I stand before you with a heart filled with profound gratitude and a deep sense of responsibility.
I am truly humbled by the confidence that members of the Nigerian Bar Association have reposed in me by electing me to serve as your President.
Thank you for believing in our shared vision of A BOLDER BAR THAT WORKS FOR EVERYONE. This victory is not mine alone; it belongs to every member who believed that our Association can be stronger, more inclusive, more responsive, and better positioned to serve the interests of all lawyers.
Over the past months, I had the privilege of travelling across our nation, engaging with colleagues in every state of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory. I listened to your hopes, your concerns, your aspirations, and your ideas. Those conversations shaped this campaign, and they will continue to guide my leadership.
I extend my sincere appreciation to every member who participated in this election, regardless of the candidate you supported. The election is over. We are one Bar, united by a common commitment to the advancement of our profession and the defence of justice and the rule of law.
I congratulate my fellow contestants for their commitment to our Association and for enriching this democratic process. I look forward to working with all of you as partners in building an NBA that reflects the very best of our profession.
To the BBOLD Campaign Council, our volunteers, coordinators, supporters, friends, colleagues, and every person who worked tirelessly, often behind the scenes, I cannot thank you enough. Your dedication, sacrifice, belief, and hard work made this journey possible. I am deeply grateful.
To my husband, thank you for your love, your sacrifices, your encouragement, and your unwavering belief in me throughout this journey. Your support, strength, and quiet confidence have meant more than words can express. I am deeply grateful to have walked this path with you by my side. Thank you for being my steadfast partner through it all.
To my family, mentors, friends, and everyone who stood by me with their prayers, encouragement, and unwavering support, thank you for walking this journey with me.
Today marks not the end of a campaign, but the beginning of a new responsibility.
I pledge to lead with integrity, courage, humility, fairness, and accountability. I will be a President for every member of the Nigerian Bar Association. Together, we will build an Association where every lawyer has the opportunity to earn better, live better, and practise better.
The work begins now.
May God continue to bless the Nigerian Bar Association and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Thank you, and God bless you all.
– Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, FCIArb (Mrs. B)
Partner, ALP NG & Co
President-Elect, Nigerian Bar Association
