ABUJA, Nigeria — Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, has been elected the 33rd president of the Nigerian Bar Association, becoming the first woman to win the office through a direct vote of the association’s members.
Badejo-Okusanya received 12,317 votes, or 47.18 per cent of the ballots cast in the presidential contest.
She defeated Lateef Akangbe, who polled 7,934 votes, representing 30.39 per cent, and Olumuyiwa Akinboro, who finished third with 5,855 votes, or 22.43 per cent. All three candidates are Senior Advocates of Nigeria.
The result was announced at the NBA National Secretariat in Abuja on Sunday, July 19, 2026, after the conclusion of the association’s electronic national officers’ election. Badejo-Okusanya will succeed Afam Osigwe and serve a two-year term from 2026 to 2028.
First Woman Directly Elected to Lead the NBA
Badejo-Okusanya is the second woman to become president of the NBA.
Priscilla Kuye, the first woman to hold the position, led the association from 1991 to 1992. Kuye assumed the presidency through constitutional succession after the resignation of Clement Akpamgbo, rather than through a direct presidential election.
Badejo-Okusanya’s victory therefore marks the first time members of the association have elected a woman to its highest office. It also returns a woman to the leadership of the NBA more than three decades after Kuye’s tenure.
She is expected to take office during the 2026 NBA Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Cyberattack Delays Electronic Voting
The election was completed after a technical disruption delayed the opening of the voting portal.
Voting had initially been scheduled to begin at midnight on Saturday, but the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association said its electronic platform had come under what it described as a coordinated and sustained cyberattack.
The committee said the attack targeted its technical infrastructure and was intended to disrupt the election. Its cybersecurity team and electronic voting service provider subsequently activated security measures before the system was restored and voting began at 7:35 a.m.
Osigwe said after the declaration of the results that the election had faced attempts to derail the process. He said the technical infrastructure had to be rebuilt and transferred to a more secure server before voting could proceed.
The outgoing president also said the electoral committee would examine the technical and operational problems recorded during the exercise and make recommendations aimed at improving future NBA elections.
Other National Officers Elected
Several other national officers were elected alongside Badejo-Okusanya.
Oghenero Okoro won the position of first vice-president with 11,024 votes, while Afam Okeke was elected general secretary after receiving 8,478 votes.
Aghogho Gladys secured the position of assistant general secretary with 14,312 votes, and Chinelo Audrey Ofoegbunam was elected welfare secretary with 14,911 votes.
The elected officers will form the association’s national leadership for the 2026-2028 term.
A Career in Law and Public Service
Born on January 15, 1967, Badejo-Okusanya was raised in a family associated with higher education and public service.
Her father, Olufolabi Olumide, was a surgeon and the first vice-chancellor of Lagos State University. Her mother, Clara Folasade Abiodun Olumide, was the first female registrar of the University of Lagos.
Badejo-Okusanya initially studied English at the University of Lagos, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1987. She later obtained a law degree from the same university and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2002.
She also earned a Master of Laws degree in commercial and corporate law from Queen Mary University of London.
Badejo-Okusanya began her legal career at Olaniwun Ajayi LP before becoming a founding partner at Africa Law Practice NG & Company in 2017. She is a partner at the firm and works in commercial litigation, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution.
Her practice has included litigation before Nigerian trial and appellate courts, domestic and international arbitration, regulatory compliance, intellectual property, media and entertainment law, mediation and commercial disputes.
Between 2007 and 2015, she served in the Lagos State Government under Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola.
She first worked as senior special assistant on justice sector reform and later became general counsel in the governor’s office.
Her responsibilities included work involving public-private partnerships, arbitration legislation, consumer protection and other justice-sector initiatives.
Years of Service Within the Bar
Before contesting the presidency, Badejo-Okusanya held several positions within the NBA.
She served as assistant secretary of the association’s Lagos branch, participated in the National Executive Council and worked on several conference planning committees.
In 2024, she chaired the planning committee for the NBA Annual General Conference, leading a female-headed team responsible for organising the gathering in Lagos.
She received the NBA Presidential Medal of Service that year and was elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria on September 29, 2025.
Badejo-Okusanya is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, an accredited mediator and a member of several domestic and international arbitration organisations.
She has served on the executive committee of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators’ Nigeria branch and sits on the board of the Lagos Court of Arbitration.
Her election places her at the head of the national association at a time when its members have raised concerns about lawyers’ welfare, professional accountability, institutional reform and access to justice.
