Badejo-Okusanya Makes History as NBA Elects Its Second Female President
Mrs Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, has been elected the 33rd President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), becoming only the second woman to lead the association.
Badejo-Okusanya secured 12,317 votes, representing 47.18 per cent of the total votes cast, to defeat her closest rivals, Lateef Akangbe, SAN, who polled 7,934 votes, and Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN, who secured 5,855 votes.
Other elected national officers include Oghenero Okoro, who emerged First Vice President with 11,024 votes; Afam Okeke, elected General Secretary with 8,478 votes; Aghogho Gladys, who won the position of Assistant General Secretary with 14,312 votes; and Chinelo Ofoegbunam, elected Welfare Secretary with 14,911 votes, among other successful candidates.
The Chairman of the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA), Aham Ejelam, SAN, announced the results at the NBA headquarters in Abuja after the election concluded in the early hours of Sunday.
In his remarks, the outgoing NBA President, Afam Osigwe, SAN, said attempts by some colleagues to truncate the election had failed, adding that every effort to derail the process was successfully resisted.
He described the period leading up to the election as a trying time for the association, alleging that some individuals went to great lengths to discredit the NBA.
Osigwe urged the winners to be magnanimous in victory and encouraged those who were unsuccessful to remain hopeful, stressing that there would always be another opportunity.
He also said the cyberattack experienced during the electoral process underscored the need to strengthen data protection and called for collective efforts to ensure the affairs of the association were conducted in a manner acceptable to all members.
According to him, the full story of how the election was almost sabotaged would one day be told.
“The NBA, being an association of lawyers, should be able to determine the course of its electoral process while promoting the rule of law,” he said.
He added: “Mistakes might have been made during the process, but I have confidence that my successor will correct them. I urge winners to extend the hand of fellowship to those who lost and work together with a united front to move the Bar forward. The unity of the Bar cannot and should never be negotiated,” he said.
Osigwe wished the newly elected executive committee a successful tenure and expressed the hope that the NBA would never witness a time when its leaders would be elected by people other than lawyers.
