The controversy surrounding the 2026 election of the Nigerian Bar Association has intensified, as a group of lawyers has approached the Federal High Court seeking to stop the inauguration of President-elect Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya and other newly elected officials.
Badejo-Okusanya, who polled 12,317 votes to defeat Lateef Akangbe and Olumuyiwa Akinboro, is scheduled to assume office on August 21, 2026, succeeding outgoing NBA President Afam Osigwe.
However, the election, conducted electronically, has been marred by allegations of irregularities.
In a suit filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP), the court is being asked to issue an injunction preventing the swearing-in pending the determination of the case.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1471/2026, also seeks to maintain the current NBA leadership status quo and to join key stakeholders, including the president-elect, her opponents, and observer groups such as Amnesty International, YIAGA Africa, and the Transition Monitoring Group.
ALDRAP argues that the election process was flawed, citing alleged voter disenfranchisement, technical issues with the e-voting system, and non-compliance with the NBA’s approved timetable.
The group’s Administrative Secretary, Jesse Williams Amuga, also questioned the credibility of the process, noting that no election observer has released a report on the exercise.
The court is yet to fix a date for hearing the application.
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