- Badejo-Okusanya issues her first statement as NBA President-elect, thanking members and campaign team.
- She vows to lead with integrity, humility, and accountability; calls for unity with rival candidates.
- Formal inauguration set for NBA’s Annual General Conference, August 21–28 in Port Harcourt.
Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, has reacted to her emergence as President-elect of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), describing her historic election as the outcome of a campaign shaped by months of direct engagement with lawyers across the country.
EKO HOT BLOG reports that the chairman of the Electoral Committee of the NBA (ECNBA), Aham Ejelam, had earlier on Sunday announced Badejo-Okusanya as the winner of the presidential poll that held between Saturday morning and Sunday morning.
EDITOR’S PICKS
Reacting to her triumph in a statement she personally signed and titled “A Bold Message of Gratitude,” Badejo-Okusanya said she was “humbled by the confidence that members of the Nigerian Bar Association have reposed” in her, and credited her win to the campaign’s platform.
“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
Badejo-Okusanya polled 12,317 votes, representing 47.18 per cent of the 26,106 ballots cast in the presidential race, to defeat Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe, SAN, who came second with 7,934 votes (30.39 per cent), and Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN, who placed third with 5,855 votes (22.43 per cent).
Voting was conducted electronically over 24 hours, closing Sunday morning. She becomes the NBA’s 33rd president and only its second female leader in 66 years, after Priscilla Kuye, who led the association from 1991 to 1992. She is also the first woman to be elected the group’s president.
In her statement, Badejo-Okusanya said her campaign was built on months of travelling to every state and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to hear directly from members.
“I listened to your hopes, your concerns, your aspirations, and your ideas,” she said. “Those conversations shaped this campaign, and they will continue to guide my leadership.”
She also struck a conciliatory note toward the two candidates she defeated, describing the Bar as united beyond the contest.
“The election is over. We are one Bar, united by a common commitment to the advancement of our profession and the defence of justice and the rule of law,” she said, adding that she looked forward to working with her former rivals “as partners in building an NBA that reflects the very best of our profession.”
She thanked her BBOLD Campaign Council, volunteers and supporters, as well as her husband, Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, whom she credited with “love,” “sacrifices” and “unwavering belief” throughout the race, and her wider family and mentors for their support.
Looking ahead to her tenure, Badejo-Okusanya pledged to govern with “integrity, courage, humility, fairness, and accountability,” and said her administration would work to help lawyers “earn better, live better, and practise better.”
“Today marks not the end of a campaign, but the beginning of a new responsibility. The work begins now,” the NBA president-elect added.
Badejo-Okusanya was elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria on September 29, 2025. She is a Partner and Co-Head of Litigation and Dispute Resolution at ALP NG & Co. and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.
She previously served as General Counsel to the Governor of Lagos State under the Babatunde Fashola administration, working on the Lagos State Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme.
Within the NBA, she has held several positions over the years, including Assistant Secretary of the Lagos Branch, a co-opted member of the National Executive Council since 2022, and chair of the association’s 2024 Annual General Conference Planning Committee. She was awarded the NBA Presidential Medal of Service in August 2024. She campaigned on a five-pillar manifesto anchored on member welfare, financial transparency and inclusive Bar leadership.
FURTHER READING
She will be formally inaugurated alongside other newly elected national officers at the NBA’s Annual General Conference, holding August 21 to 28 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where outgoing president Afam Osigwe is expected to hand over to the incoming leadership.
Click to watch the video of the week below:
