Senior Advocate polls 41.77% of early votes as NBA presidential race unfolds amid rigging allegations
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, has taken an early lead in the Nigerian Bar Association’s presidential election.
In early results released as of 11:33 am on Saturday, Badejo-Okusanya polled 4,860 votes, representing 41.77% of ballots counted so far.
Her closest challenger, Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe (SAN), secured 3,851 votes (33.10%), while Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro (SAN) trailed with 2,924 votes (25.13%).
With final results still pending at the time of filing, the 11,600 votes counted so far suggest the race is tilting in Badejo-Okusanya’s favour.
Rigging Allegations Precede the Vote
The early lead emerges barely 24 hours after NBA President Afam Osigwe (SAN) publicly dismissed allegations that he was attempting to rig or interfere in the association’s national officers’ election.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Friday, Osigwe insisted that the NBA’s Electoral Committee operated independently and took no instructions from him. He also denied backing any preferred candidate, calling the allegations politically motivated and unsupported by evidence.
His remarks came after weeks of controversy surrounding the July 18 election, with some presidential candidates and stakeholders questioning the integrity of the process. Critics had called for the poll to be postponed, demanded mandatory National Identification Number (NIN) verification for voters, and accused NBA leadership of trying to influence the outcome.
The association has consistently denied these allegations, maintaining that only the Electoral Committee is constitutionally empowered to conduct the election. Osigwe further noted that longstanding allegations of manipulation in past NBA elections had never been substantiated in court, and he dismissed suggestions that his personal voting preference could sway the outcome
