Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), 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 of 11:33 a.m., Badejo-Okusanya had secured 4,860 votes, representing 41.77 percent of the ballots counted. She was ahead of her closest rival, Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe (SAN), who polled 3,851 votes (33.10 percent), while Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro (SAN) followed with 2,924 votes, accounting for 25.13 percent of the votes cast.
Although the election was still ongoing and final results had yet to be announced, the early figures indicated strong support for Badejo-Okusanya among voting lawyers across the country. More than 11,600 votes had been recorded at the time of the update.
The election comes amid heightened scrutiny following allegations of possible interference in the electoral process. On the eve of the poll, NBA President Afam Osigwe (SAN) dismissed claims that he was attempting to influence the outcome, insisting that the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association operates independently and without interference from the association’s leadership.
The controversy had prompted some stakeholders and presidential candidates to call for the postponement of the election, demand stricter voter verification measures, including mandatory National Identification Number (NIN) checks, and raise concerns over the integrity of the process. However, the NBA maintained that the Electoral Committee remained solely responsible for conducting the election in line with the association’s constitution.
If the current trend continues and she is declared the winner, Badejo-Okusanya will make history as the first woman elected to lead the Nigerian Bar Association through a direct election, although the NBA has previously had a female president through an earlier leadership arrangement.
