By Danjuma Amodu
Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, has been elected the 33rd President of the Nigerian Bar Association, making history as the first female lawyer to be elected to lead the Bar in its 91-year existence.
Badejo-Okusanya polled 12,001 votes, representing 47.06% of total votes cast, to defeat two other Senior Advocates of Nigeria in the NBA National Elections conducted electronically on Saturday, July 18, 2026.
According to results released by the NBA Electoral Committee, Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe, SAN, secured 7,737 votes to place second with 30.34%, while Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN, got 5,766 votes representing 22.61%. A total of 25,504 votes were cast.
Speaking to the press after her emergence, Badejo-Okusanya described the outcome as a shared victory for members who believe in a more inclusive Bar.
“Today, I am filled with profound gratitude and a deep sense of responsibility. Thank you to the members of the Nigerian Bar Association for the confidence you have reposed in me by electing me as your President. I am deeply humbled by your trust,” she said.
“This victory belongs to all of us who believe in A BOLDER BAR THAT WORKS FOR EVERYONE”
— Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, NBA President-Elect
“The campaign is over. The work begins now. I pledge to serve every member of the Nigerian Bar Association with integrity, humility, courage, and accountability. Together, we will build an NBA where lawyers can earn better, live better, and practise better,” she added.
The NBA, founded in 1933 with over 200,000 members, is Africa’s largest Bar association and a major voice on rule of law, governance and human rights in Nigeria.
While women have played prominent roles in the association’s history, no female lawyer had previously been elected President. The closest was in 2020 when a female lawyer served as 1st Vice President and briefly acted in a presidential capacity following a leadership transition.
With Badejo-Okusanya’s election, the Bar now has its first officially elected female President, a milestone many members describe as a turning point for gender representation in the legal profession.
The President-Elect said her administration will prioritize lawyers’ welfare, judicial independence, access to justice, and the welfare of young lawyers and those in rural areas. She also pledged to strengthen the NBA’s engagement with government on constitutional reforms and to deploy technology to improve legal practice.
She appreciated her fellow contestants for a peaceful race, and thanked her campaign team, supporters, family and mentors.
“May God bless the Nigerian Bar Association and the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Badejo-Okusanya said.
Outgoing NBA officials and branch chairmen nationwide have congratulated her, calling for unity to enable the incoming executive deliver on its mandate. She is expected to be sworn in later this year.
