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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Elections & Politics

NBA election: Badejo-Okusanya on course to become president as voting closes

From The Punch · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, is leading in the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) presidential election with 47.18% of the votes cast.
  • The election saw a voter turnout of 31.86%, with 26,106 votes cast out of 82,172 registered voters.
  • The election faced controversy, including technical glitches with the electronic voting portal and a protest from a rival candidate alleging irregularities.

Senior lawyer Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya is poised to become the next president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), holding a significant lead in the ongoing presidential election. Preliminary results displayed by the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) show Badejo-Okusanya securing 12,317 votes, representing 47.18% of the total votes cast.

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.

— ECNBAAnnouncing the start and duration of the voting period.

Her closest competitor, Lateef Akangbe, garnered 7,934 votes (30.39%), followed by Olumuyiwa Akinboro with 5,855 votes (22.43%). The ECNBA reported a voter turnout of 31.86%, with 26,106 out of 82,172 registered voters participating. Voting commenced on Saturday and was scheduled to continue for 24 hours.

However, the election process was marred by controversy. Shortly after voting began, the electronic portal reportedly experienced technical issues. Lateef Akangbe lodged a protest with the ECNBA, calling for the election's suspension. He alleged that the voting portal had collapsed and that one-time passwords were being sent via email instead of SMS, contrary to revised guidelines. Akangbe also claimed the presidential ballot omitted the photographs of some candidates, compromising the election's credibility.

Election Closed. The ECNBA Electronic Voting Portal is currently unavailable. Voting has been closed by the Election Committee. Thank you for participating in the ECNBA electoral process. Results will be published by the Election Committee when approved.

— ECNBAIndicating the closure of voting and the next steps for result publication.

If declared the winner, Badejo-Okusanya will make history as only the second woman to lead the NBA, following Priscilla Olabori Kuye, who served from 1991 to 1992. The election was preceded by weeks of disputes, including litigation and calls for postponement.

A flawed, rushed election carried out today under these chaotic conditions cannot yield a credible result.

— Lateef AkangbeProtesting the election process due to alleged irregularities.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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