- NBA elects Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya as first woman president in its 66-year history.
- She polled 12,317 votes (47.18%), beating Akangbe and Akinboro.
- The ECNBA declared Badejo-Okusanya as the president-elect on Sunday.
Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, has emerged the winner of the Nigerian Bar Association’s (NBA) presidential election, making her the first woman to be elected to lead the association in its 66-year history.
EKO HOT BLOG reports that the chairman of the Electoral Committee of the NBA (ECNBA), Aham Ejelam, announced Badejo-Okusanya as the election winner on Sunday.
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According to Ejelam, the NBA president-elect and the only female among three presidential candidates polled 12,317 votes, representing 47.18 percent of the 26,106 ballots cast in the presidential race.
The Electoral Committee of @NigBarAssoc has just announced @MrsBBold as elected to become the 33rd President of the Association in #NBADecides2026. pic.twitter.com/xrG2WdWhkD
— Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, CGoF (@ChidiOdinkalu) July 19, 2026
Voting held electronically over 24 hours, from 7:35 a.m. Saturday to 7:34 a.m. Sunday.
Badejo-Okusanya defeated Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe, SAN, who polled 7,934 votes (30.39 per cent) to place second, and Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN, who polled 5,855 votes (22.43 per cent) to place third.
Across the 13 national officer positions on the ballot, total votes cast stood at 26,184, representing a 31.86 per cent turnout of the 82,172 registered voters.
When inaugurated, Mrs Badejo-Okusanya will become the NBA’s 33rd president and only its second female leader, following Priscilla Kuye, who led the association from 1991 to 1992, but was not elected.
The NBA will formally inaugurate its new national officers at its Annual General Conference, scheduled for August 21 to 28 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where outgoing president Afam Osigwe and his executives are expected to hand over to the incoming leadership.
“This Victory Is Not Mine Alone”
In a statement issued shortly after the close of voting, Badejo-Okusanya thanked NBA members for their support and framed her win as a collective achievement.
“Today, I stand before you with a heart filled with profound gratitude and a deep sense of responsibility,” she said. “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.”
She linked the outcome to the campaign platform she ran on throughout the race.
“Thank you for believing in our shared vision of A BOLDER BAR THAT WORKS FOR EVERYONE,” she said. “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.”
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.… pic.twitter.com/Ib91CQ0jYR
— Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, FCIArb (@MrsBBold) July 19, 2026
Who Is Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya?
Badejo-Okusanya was elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria on September 29, 2025, in recognition of her contributions to legal practice, public service and the administration of justice. She is Partner and Co-Head of Litigation and Dispute Resolution at ALP NG & Co. and sits on the Board of the Lagos Court of Arbitration.
Her public service record includes a stint as General Counsel to the Governor of Lagos State under the Babatunde Fashola administration, where she worked on the Lagos State Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme.
Within the NBA, she has served in several capacities over the years, including as Assistant Secretary of the Lagos Branch, a delegate to the 2006 NBA elections, chair of the Lagos Branch’s Annual Dinner Committee, and a co-opted member of the National Executive Council since 2022. She chaired the association’s 2024 Annual General Conference Planning Committee and was Alternate Chair the year before, and was awarded the NBA Presidential Medal of Service in August 2024.
Beyond her Bar activities, she has taken on pro bono cases for indigent defendants, including capital cases that ended in acquittal and appeals that overturned wrongful convictions. She campaigned on a five-pillar manifesto anchored on what she called BOLD leadership, pledging stronger member welfare, greater financial transparency and an inclusive approach to Bar leadership.
FURTHER READING
Her election ends a 35-year wait since Kuye’s tenure and comes three decades after two other women, Funke Adekoya, SAN, ran unsuccessfully for the office in 2006 and 2014.
Click to watch the video of the week below:
