Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, has extended her lead in the ongoing Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) presidential election, emerging as the frontrunner after voting resumed following an earlier cyberattack that disrupted the electronic voting process.
The election, which is being conducted online across the country, had a dramatic start after the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) announced a delay in the commencement of voting following what it described as a coordinated cyberattack on its electronic voting platform. Blueprint reports
However, after cybersecurity experts restored the system, voting commenced, with thousands of lawyers casting their ballots to elect a successor to the outgoing NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe (SAN).
Badejo-Okusanya takes commanding lead
Updated results released by the ECNBA at about 6:00 p.m. on Saturday showed that 21,665 lawyers had successfully voted out of 82,164 registered voters, representing a 26.37 per cent voter turnout.
Of the votes counted, Badejo-Okusanya polled 9,930 votes, representing 45.82 per cent, to establish a comfortable lead over her closest rivals.
Former Chairman of the NBA Lagos Branch, Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe (SAN), came second with 6,708 votes (30.99 per cent), while Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro (SAN) secured 5,021 votes (23.21 per cent).
Although voting and collation were still ongoing at the time of filing this report, the latest figures placed Badejo-Okusanya in a strong position to emerge as the association’s next president.
Election disrupted by cyberattack
The poll had earlier been thrown into uncertainty after the ECNBA announced that voting, originally scheduled to begin at 12:00 a.m. on Saturday, could not commence because the electronic voting platform had come under attack.
In a statement jointly signed by the Chairman of the ECNBA, Aham Ejelam (SAN), and the committee’s Secretary, Ibrahim Aliyu Nassarawa, the electoral body disclosed that the platform suffered a “deliberate, coordinated and sustained cyberattack.”
According to the committee, the attack was intended to disrupt, sabotage and undermine the credibility of the NBA’s 2026 national elections.
The ECNBA said its cybersecurity team and the Election Voting Service Provider (EVSP) immediately activated emergency response measures to neutralise the threat and secure the voting infrastructure.
The committee assured members that no votes were cast or recorded before the platform was restored.
Keenly contested race
This year’s NBA presidential election has attracted widespread attention within the legal profession, with three distinguished Senior Advocates of Nigeria contesting for the association’s highest office.
Badejo-Okusanya, who previously served as General Counsel in the Lagos State Governor’s Office during the administration of former Governor Babatunde Fashola, also chaired the Planning Committee of the NBA’s 2024 Annual General Conference.
Akangbe is a former Chairman of the NBA Lagos Branch, former Chairman of the NBA Finance Committee and a member of the Body of Benchers.
Akinboro, a Life Bencher, previously served as NBA General Secretary and later chaired the NBA Abuja Branch.
The presidency was zoned to the South West following the decision of the Midwest Bar to step aside after producing two recent NBA presidents.
Controversies trail election
Even before voting commenced, the election had been overshadowed by legal disputes and allegations of interference.
A socio-cultural legal group, Egbe Amofin Oodua, had called for the postponement of the election, arguing that reforms were needed to strengthen the credibility of the electronic voting system.
The group advocated linking voter verification to the National Identification Number (NIN) and registered telephone numbers instead of relying primarily on email authentication.
The election also witnessed allegations of attempts by external interests to influence the process, claims that were strongly denied by the NBA leadership.
Similarly, the association dismissed reports circulating on social media alleging that the Attorney General of the Federation had ordered the suspension of the election, describing the documents as fake.
Observers monitor process
To enhance transparency and public confidence, the ECNBA invited several local and international election observers to monitor the exercise.
Among those invited were Yiaga Africa, the European Union, the United States Mission, the United Kingdom Mission and the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG).
The committee maintained that robust technological safeguards had been deployed to ensure that every eligible lawyer votes only once and that the integrity of the election remains protected.
Awaiting final outcome
With voting and collation continuing, attention has now shifted to the final declaration of results that will determine who succeeds Mazi Afam Osigwe (SAN) as President of the Nigerian Bar Association.
Although Badejo-Okusanya currently enjoys a significant lead, legal observers say the final outcome will depend on votes yet to be counted before the ECNBA formally declares a winner.
The association has assured members that it remains committed to conducting a transparent, credible and secure election despite the early technical setback that temporarily threatened the process.