Nigerian Bar Association leadership election

Oyinkansola Badejo‑Okusanya, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, was elected the 33rd president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in a vote that saw her receive 12,317 of the 26,106 ballots cast, representing 47.18% of the total. She defeated two male rivals, Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe and Olumuyiwa Akinboro, with a voter turnout of 31.86% among the 82,172 registered members. Badejo‑Okusanya becomes the first woman elected to the NBA’s top post since its founding, following an interim female presidency by Priscilla Kuye in 1991‑92. Her election coincided with women winning six of the ten elective national offices within the NBA, marking a notable shift toward gender inclusion in Nigeria’s legal profession. The African Women Lawyers Association hailed the outcome as a landmark for women’s leadership and aligned it with global gender‑equality goals, while Badejo‑Okusanya pledged to restore public confidence, uphold the rule of law, and protect human rights during her term, which begins at the NBA’s Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt (August 21‑28).