Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya Set to Be Sworn In as NBA's First Elected Female President

A Historic Handover

Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, is scheduled to be sworn in today as the 33rd President of the Nigerian Bar Association, succeeding Afam Osigwe, SAN, at the closing ceremony of the NBA's 66th Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt. Her swearing in makes her only the second woman to lead the NBA, more than three decades after Dame Priscilla Kuye's tenure from 1991 to 1992, and the first woman ever to win the presidency through a direct election. Kuye had ascended to the role after the sitting president was appointed Attorney General of the Federation, rather than through the ballot. Badejo-Okusanya will serve a two year term running from 2026 to 2028.

A Decisive Victory

Badejo-Okusanya secured the presidency in the NBA's national officers' election held on July 18 and 19, polling 12,317 votes, representing 47.18 percent of all ballots cast. She defeated fellow Senior Advocates of Nigeria Lateef Akangbe, who polled 7,934 votes, and Olumuyiwa Akinboro, who polled 5,855 votes. The Electoral Committee of the NBA, chaired by Aham Ejelam, SAN, announced the results at the association's National Secretariat in Abuja after a 24 hour electronic poll that drew 26,184 of the NBA's 82,172 registered voters, a turnout of roughly 32 percent. The exercise was briefly disrupted by an attempted cyberattack, prompting the outgoing leadership to commit to a full review of the association's electoral infrastructure.

Who She Is

Badejo-Okusanya is a founding partner at Africa Law Practice NG & Company, where she co-heads the litigation and dispute resolution practice. Born in Lagos and raised on the University of Lagos campus, she is the daughter of Clara Folasade Abiodun Olumide, who became the university's first female Registrar. In her victory message, Badejo-Okusanya pledged to prioritise lawyers' welfare, promising to work toward better earnings, improved working conditions and expanded professional opportunities for members of the Bar, describing her win as a collective achievement for a more inclusive and responsive NBA.

What Comes Next

Also elected alongside her were Oghenero Okoro as First Vice President, Afam Okeke as General Secretary, Aghogho Gladys as Assistant General Secretary and Chinelo Audrey Ofoegbunam as Welfare Secretary, all serving the same two year term. As she assumes office, members of the profession will be watching her leadership on judicial independence, legal practice reforms and welfare delivery, themes that dominated discussions at this year's conference under the banner "Beyond Limits."