The controversy trailing the just concluded national election of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, has taken a new twist as a group of lawyers has asked the Abuja Federal High Court to stop the swearing in of the President-elect, Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, and other newly elected national officers.
Badejo-Okusanya secured 12,317 votes to defeat the other contestants, Lateef Akangbe, SAN, and Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN. She is slated to be sworn in on August 21, 2026, when she will take over from the outgoing President, Afam Osigwe, SAN.
Allegations of irregularities have trailed the poll, which was conducted through electronic format.
A lawsuit is now threatening the outcome of the exercise as the Abuja Federal High Court has been asked to halt the inauguration of the new NBA leadership in additional reliefs filed in a pending suit numbered FHC/ABJ/CS/1471/2026, between the Incorporated Trustees of the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners, ALDRAP, as plaintiff, and the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, and the NBA, as respondents.
In the initial originating summons, the plaintiff, ALDRAP, had asked the Abuja Federal High Court to stop the AGF from interfering in the NBA election, and also order that the AGF and the NBA cannot interfere in the conferment of the Blue Silks rank of Senior Counsel of Nigeria, which it introduced as an alternative to the SAN title for non-litigation lawyers in Nigeria. ALDRAP had also asked the court to appoint the Nigerian Law Society, NLS, and the Law Society of Lesotho, to act as independent observers during the NBA election.
In the additional reliefs filed on July 20, 2026, the plaintiff asked the court to join newly elected NBA President Badejo-Okusanya and some other persons and entities as necessary parties/respondents in the suit.
Others the plaintiff seeks to join in the suit are Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN, Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe, SAN, Amnesty International (Nigeria office or it’s representative), YIAGA and the Transition Monitoring Group, TMG.
Credit: dailypost.ng
