Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, has emerged as the early frontrunner in the ongoing Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) presidential election, raising prospects of becoming the association’s first female president if the current voting pattern is maintained.
Results available as of 11:33 a.m. on Saturday showed Badejo-Okusanya polling 4,860 votes, accounting for 41.77 per cent of the ballots counted.
Her closest rival, Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe (SAN), secured 3,851 votes, representing 33.10 per cent, while Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro (SAN) garnered 2,924 votes, equivalent to 25.13 per cent.
Although the election was still underway and the final outcome had yet to be declared, the 11,600 votes counted so far placed Badejo-Okusanya in a commanding early lead.
The development comes a day after NBA President, Afam Osigwe (SAN), rejected allegations that he was attempting to influence or manipulate the outcome of the association’s national election.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Friday, Osigwe maintained that the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association operates independently and does not receive directives from the NBA leadership.
He also dismissed claims that he was backing any particular candidate, describing the allegations as politically motivated and lacking credible evidence.
The election has been preceded by weeks of controversy, with some contestants and stakeholders expressing concerns over the credibility of the process.
They called for the exercise to be postponed, demanded compulsory National Identification Number (NIN) verification for voters, and accused the NBA leadership of attempting to interfere in the election.
However, the association consistently denied the allegations, insisting that only the Electoral Committee is constitutionally empowered to organise and conduct the poll.
Osigwe further argued that longstanding claims of manipulation in previous NBA elections had never been proven in any court of law, adding that his personal voting preference could not determine the outcome of the election.
