Two Losing Candidates Petition to Nullify NBA's Historic Presidential Election
The NBA just made history with its first elected female president. Now two of her rivals want that history erased
Winning an election is supposed to end the argument. In the Nigerian Bar Association's case, it just moved the argument to a different table.
The Result
The NBA's Electoral Committee declared Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, winner of the July 18-19 presidential election with 12,317 votes, representing 47.18 per cent of the total cast. Lateef Akangbe, SAN, placed second with 7,934 votes (30.39 per cent), while Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN, placed third with 5,855 votes (22.43 per cent).
The Petitions
Akinboro has filed a petition, most reports place it at 19 pages, though at least one source cites 41, demanding the Body of Benchers, the Attorney-General of the Federation, and the General Council of the Bar declare the election void and order a fresh poll. The petition, dated July 27, was also copied to the NBA's Electoral Committee, past NBA presidents, the EFCC, and the DSS. Akangbe has separately petitioned the NBA's own National Officers Election Appeal Committee seeking the same outcome, nullification.
What Went Wrong, According to Akinboro
The petition alleges a chain of problems rather than one isolated complaint: institutional bias favouring Badejo-Okusanya, a lack of transparency in how election service providers were appointed, failure to implement agreed voter authentication measures, and technical glitches he says disenfranchised thousands of eligible voters. He named the vendors directly, Mikrodigital Connect as the e-voting provider and Thanelinc Nigeria Limited as data protection officer, claiming a background check found both wanting in experience and track record, with Mikrodigital allegedly having six years of overdue corporate filings only submitted after its appointment became public.
He also points to election night itself, describing a portal collapse at midnight on July 18, and claims that when some lawyers did manage to log in, his name was missing entirely from the presidential ballot, with only Badejo-Okusanya's photograph displayed. The Electoral Committee has attributed the disruption to a cyberattack, a claim Akangbe's petition notes has not been independently verified.
The Bias Allegation
Akinboro also claims the NBA leadership backed Badejo-Okusanya openly during the campaign, alleging that at the 2025 Annual General Conference in Enugu, officials distributed her campaign materials while denying similar platform access to other candidates. He further alleges he was approached about a zoning deal rotating the presidency between the South-West and Mid-West, which he declined to broker, and that key relationships soured once he refused.
Akangbe's Separate Case
Akangbe's petition takes a narrower route, arguing the election failed to comply with the NBA Constitution and its governing guidelines, without the wider bias allegations running through Akinboro's petition. His petition centres on the electronic voting platform becoming inaccessible for more than seven hours after voting opened.
Where Things Stand
Badejo-Okusanya has already been sworn in as the NBA's 33rd President and the first to reach the office by direct vote. Whether these petitions can unwind that outcome is now in the hands of the Body of Benchers, the Election Appeal Committee, and potentially the security agencies copied on the complaints.
Why It Matters
Election disputes inside a professional body carry real weight, they test whether the institution's own internal mechanisms can resolve conflict credibly, without spilling into the courts or eroding public confidence in the Bar's leadership, something every practitioner and student watching the profession has a stake in.
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