Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, has taken an early lead in the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) presidential election. As of 11:33 a.m. on Saturday, she had 4,860 votes, representing 41.77% of ballots counted.
Her nearest rival, Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe (SAN), had 3,851 votes (33.10%), while Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro (SAN) recorded 2,924 votes (25.13%). About 11,600 votes had been cast at the time, suggesting an early tilt toward Badejo-Okusanya, though final results were still pending.
The development follows weeks of controversy surrounding the July 18 election, including calls from some candidates and stakeholders for postponement, mandatory voter identity verification, and allegations of interference by NBA leadership. NBA President Afam Osigwe (SAN) has publicly denied any attempts to influence the election, stressing that the Electoral Committee operates independently and that claims of manipulation lack substantiation.
The Electoral Committee is continuing to tally votes, and the association is expected to release final results when counting concludes.
