Badejo-Okusanya leads NBA presidential race as early results favour her

Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), has emerged as the early frontrunner in the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) presidential election, with preliminary results released on Saturday placing her ahead of her two rivals in a closely watched contest that has been dogged by controversy over its credibility.

Results available as of 11:33 a.m. showed Badejo-Okusanya polling 4,860 votes, representing 41.77 percent of the ballots counted. She was followed by Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe (SAN), who garnered 3,851 votes or 33.10 percent, while Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro (SAN) secured 2,924 votes, accounting for 25.13 percent.

Although the final outcome was yet to be declared as of the time of filing this report, the 11,600 votes counted so far suggested Badejo-Okusanya had established an early advantage in the race to lead Nigeria’s umbrella body for legal practitioners.

The early tally comes against the backdrop of weeks of debate over the integrity of the July 18 election, with some presidential aspirants and stakeholders questioning the credibility of the process, calling for a postponement of the poll, demanding compulsory National Identification Number (NIN) verification for voters and alleging attempts to influence the outcome.

Those concerns prompted NBA President Afam Osigwe (SAN) on Friday to publicly deny allegations that he was interfering in the election or backing any of the candidates.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja, Osigwe insisted that the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) operates independently and does not take directives from his office.

He also dismissed claims that he had endorsed a preferred candidate, describing the allegations as politically motivated and unsupported by evidence.

“The Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association operates independently and takes no instructions from me,” Osigwe said.

The NBA has consistently rejected allegations of interference, maintaining that only the ECNBA is constitutionally empowered to conduct the association’s national elections.

Osigwe further argued that recurring claims that NBA elections had always been manipulated had never been substantiated before any court of law.

He also dismissed suggestions that his personal voting preference could influence the outcome of the election, insisting that members of the association remained free to elect their preferred candidates.

Voting and collation were still ongoing at the time this report was filed, with the final declaration expected after the completion of the counting process.