The winner of Saturday’s presidential election of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, has accepted victory in the poll, even as criticism continues to trail the exercise.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), in a statement she shared via her social media accounts after emerging victorious on Sunday, thanked lawyers and members of her campaign for their support.
She expressed appreciation to them for believing in her vision of “A Bolder Bar That Works for Everyone,” her campaign slogan that captured the vision she promised to pursue if elected.
She pledged inclusive leadership and improved welfare of lawyers.
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that Mrs Badejo-Okusanya, the only female among the three presidential candidates, polled 12,317 votes to emerge ad the winner of the election, which was held through electronic voting over 24 hours, from 7:35 a.m. on Saturday to 7:35 a.m. on Sunday.
She defeated her two male challengers, polling 47.18 per cent of the 26,106 ballots cast in the presidential election, based on the final tally on the Live Election Results dashboard maintained by the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA).
Mr Akangbe, secured 7,934 votes, representing 30.39 per cent, to olace second, while Olumuyiwa Akinboro, another SAN, polled 5,855 votes, representing 22.43 per cent, to finish third.
Other national officers elected during the poll include Oghenero Okoro as the first vice-president, Egya Nuhu John.as the second vice president, Pepple Irene as the third vice president, Adam Okeke as the general secretary, Aghogho Gladys Okpomor as the assistant general secretary and Esther Ifeoma Jimoh as the treasurer
They also include Audrey Chinelo Ofoegbunam who was elected th welfare secretary, Prince I. Azubuike elected the publicity secretary, and Uwomano Anthony Junior Aki elected as the assistant public secretary
Three others were elected to represent the NBA at the General Council of the Bar. Chidi Betsy Nnaji won the Eastern Zone election, while Rotimi Komolafe emerged victorious from the Western Zone and Huwaila Muhammad Ibrahim from the Northern Zone.
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported the full results here.
The Chairman of the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA), Aham Ejelam, a SAN, officially announced the results of the election for the presidential position and 12 other national offices on Sunday at the NBA National Secretariat in Abuja, Radio Nigeria reported.
Leading with integrity
In her statement of acceptance, the president-elect, who was elevated to the SAN rank in September last year, stated that her victory belonged to every lawyer who believed the association could become stronger, more inclusive and more responsive to the needs of its members.
The senior lawyer also congratulated her fellow opponents in the election for enriching the democratic process and pledged to work with them in the interest of the association.
She promised to lead “with integrity, courage, humility, fairness and accountability,” adding that she would serve every member of the NBA and work towards an association where lawyers could “earn better, live better and practise better.”
Mrs Badejo-Okusanya will be sworn in as the 33rd NBA president at the Annual General Conference of the association scheduled for 21 to 28 August in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Mrs Badejo-Okusanya was called to the Nigerian Bar 24 years ago in 2002, after obtaining her Law degree from the University of Lagos, where she previously earned a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) degree in English.
She will be the second woman to hold the position of the president in the 66-year-old history of the NBA, after the association last had Priscilla Kuye as the first woman president 35 years ago, between 1991 and 1992.
Rival rejects poll
But Mr Akangbe, who placed second on the live results portal before voting closed, has recorded the election as “shambolic.”
Attacking the credibility of the election in a statement shared on his X handle shortly after the poll ended, also called the election “a shame to the Bar.”
While thanking lawyers across the country for participating in the exercise despite the challenges, he said thousands of lawyers stayed awake through the night in an effort to vote but were unable to do so because of repeated authentication failures, error messages and the collapse of the electronic voting platform.
Mr Akangbe questioned the ECNBA’s decision to move the election from 20 July to 18 July without the approval of the NBA National Executive Council.
He also stated that an agreement reached on 15 July to postpone the poll by one week to allow lawyers to become familiar with the newly introduced SMS authentication system was not honoured.
He argued that the voting platform collapsed shortly after voting commenced and said the ECNBA’s explanation that the disruption resulted from a cyberattack failed to explain what he described as poor preparation and inadequate capacity.
The senior lawyer also claimed that he was unable to cast his own vote despite repeated attempts. According to him, efforts by the ECNBA chairperson and the NBA president to assist him with multiple voting links were unsuccessful.
Mr Akangbe further argued that the approximately 27 per cent voter turnout reflected voter suppression rather than voter apathy, saying thousands of willing lawyers were locked out of the platform because of technical failures.
He repeated earlier allegations that the ECNBA breached its revised electronic voting guidelines by sending one-time passwords (OTPs) through email instead of SMS, contrary to assurances given to members less than 24 hours before the election.
He also maintained that the electronic ballot initially displayed only Mrs Badejo-Okusanya’s photograph, while the photographs of the other two presidential candidates, including his, were either omitted or failed to render until after concerns had been raised.
Mr Akangbe further alleged that there were credible reports of multiple voting on the platform, contrary to the principle of one member, one vote, and argued that the election could not pass any credibility test.
He said he was reviewing all available options with his team and would announce his next steps after completing that process.
Before voting ended, Mr Akangbe had written to the ECNBA demanding the immediate suspension of the election.
He as well demanded preservation of all electronic voting records, an independent forensic audit of the voting platform and the postponement of the poll until the identified concerns were addressed.
Outgoing president Osigwe hials election
But outgoing NBA President Afam Osigwe has hailed the election.
Mr Osigwe who spoke on Sunday at the NBA secretariat in Abuja after the ECNBA officially declared the results of the election.
Mr Osigwe said the election survived a coordinated cyberattack that nearly disrupted the electronic voting process.
The election suffered glitches that delayed voting for more than seven hours on Saturday.
Mr Osigwe said the ECNBA and its technical team were able to migrate to a secure server to ensure the election was concluded.
“This is a time for healing. At the end of the day, the Bar must be the ultimate winner,” he said, while newly elected officers to be magnanimous in victory.
He also called on members to put the contest behind them in the interest of the legal profession.
Mr Osigwe also promised that the ECNBA will conduct a comprehensive review of the election to draw lessons from the chlalenges, particularly the cyberattack, encountered during the process.
He said the findings.of such review would help to strengthen the association’s future elections.
