Wins Historic Election as Lawyers Pledge Stronger, More Secure Electoral Process
Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya has been elected the 33rd President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) after emerging victorious in the association’s national election conducted by the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA).
Announcing the final results in Abuja, ECNBA Chairman, Aham Ejelam, said Badejo-Okusanya secured 12,317 votes (47.18%) to defeat her closest challenger, Lateef Akangbe, who polled 7,934 votes (30.39%). The third candidate, Olumuyiwa Akinboro, received 5,855 votes (22.43%).
According to the ECNBA, a total of 26,106 lawyers voted out of 82,172 registered voters, representing a 31.86% voter turnout.
Other newly elected national officers include Oghenero Okoro as First Vice-President, Afam Okeke as General Secretary, Aghogho Gladys as Assistant General Secretary, and Chinelo Ofoegbunam as Welfare Secretary.
Outgoing NBA President, Afam Osigwe, said the election survived several attempts to disrupt the process, including a cyberattack that forced the Electoral Committee to migrate its ICT infrastructure to a more secure server.
He urged the newly elected officers to be magnanimous in victory and called on unsuccessful candidates to support the incoming leadership in the interest of the legal profession.
Osigwe also disclosed that the ECNBA would carry out a comprehensive review of the election to address challenges encountered during the exercise, strengthen cybersecurity, and improve future NBA elections.
Congratulations to the newly elected leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association.
