Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, says she will quit immediately if solid evidence shows the 2026 Nigerian Bar Association presidential election was compromised.
The incoming NBA leader made the pledge Thursday during a TVC News interview, pushing back against claims from rival candidates and some lawyers that the vote was skewed in her favor. She insisted the electronic balloting faced unprecedented public oversight and revealed no signs of tampering.
“This process has been scrutinized more than any NBA election since we adopted universal suffrage and e-voting,” Badejo-Okusanya stated. “My opponents allege it was rigged for me, yet the data tells a different story.”
She explained that her lead held steady from start to finish, with no unexplained spikes that typically signal ballot stuffing. “I never fell behind. No opponent overtook me. The margin only grew wider,” she said. “Votes came in gradually, not in suspicious dumps of 20, 30 or 50 at once. The system refreshed every 10 seconds and thousands watched live, reposting results. It was transparent.”
Badejo-Okusanya drew a contrast with late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who admitted flaws in his own election. She said she would not cling to office under a cloud of doubt. “I never wanted to be president if the process that put me there was questionable,” she noted. “I told fellow contestants publicly: if any credible allegation emerges that this election was flawed, I’ll resign without debate. That commitment stands.”
On speculation that outgoing NBA President Afam Osigwe, SAN, backed her candidacy, she said he never communicated any preference. “He didn’t tell me that. If he said it elsewhere, he didn’t say it to me,” she clarified. “I can’t speak to his attitude toward others, but he treated me with civility.”
She also dismissed suggestions that ties between her family and the federal government would undermine NBA independence. “How can I be Tinubu’s candidate when his administration isn’t even an NBA member?” she asked.
Badejo-Okusanya emphasized her loyalty lies with lawyers. “The NBA constitution is clear. I studied it before running. My duty is to members who gave me this mandate,” she said.
Looking ahead, she outlined priorities: making the NBA more professionally valuable to practitioners and reinforcing its watchdog role in upholding justice and the rule of law. “I want members to recall my tenure as one that made the NBA work better for them,” she said. “And I want Nigerians to see the NBA as serious about defending the vulnerable and protecting democracy.”
The 2026 NBA election saw voter turnout surpass 21,000, with Badejo-Okusanya maintaining a consistent lead throughout counting.