From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
A group of lawyers has approached the Federal High Court Abuja, seeking an order to stop the inauguration of Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, as President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), over alleged irregularities in the association’s recently concluded national election.
Badejo-Okusanya secured 12,317 votes to defeat fellow contestants Lateef Akangbe, SAN, and Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN, in the electronically conducted election. She is scheduled to be sworn in on August 21, 2026, to succeed the outgoing NBA President, Afam Osigwe, SAN.
The fresh application, filed on July 20, 2026, forms part of additional reliefs sought in the pending suit FHC/ABJ/CS/1471/2026, instituted by the Incorporated Trustees of the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP) against the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and the NBA.
ALDRAP had initially asked the court to restrain the AGF from interfering in the NBA election and the association’s conferment of its “Blue Silks” rank, introduced as an alternative to the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) designation for non-litigation lawyers.
The group also requested the appointment of independent election observers from the Nigerian Law Society and the Law Society of Lesotho to monitor the poll.
In its latest application, ALDRAP urged the court to join Badejo-Okusanya, Akinboro, Akangbe, Amnesty International Nigeria, YIAGA, and the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) as parties in the suit.
It is also seeking interim and perpetual injunctions restraining the NBA and its officials from swearing in Badejo-Okusanya or any other newly elected national officer pending the determination of the case. The group further asked the court to direct the current NBA leadership to remain in office until the matter is resolved.
According to ALDRAP, the suit challenges the legality of the 2026 NBA election, alleging widespread voter disenfranchisement, technical glitches in the electronic voting platform, non-compliance with the association’s approved election timetable, and questions surrounding the applicability of Section 134(2) of the 1999 Constitution.
The association maintained that the proposed parties are necessary for the court to effectively determine the issues surrounding the validity of the election and the leadership transition.
ALDRAP Administrative Secretary, Jesse Williams Amuga, expressed concern that none of the election observers had publicly released reports on the conduct of the poll, describing the silence as troubling.
He argued that no domestic or international observer had independently verified the NBA’s claims regarding the integrity of the electronic voting system, adding that organisations such as Amnesty International Nigeria, YIAGA and TMG appeared reluctant to speak publicly, allegedly for fear of damaging their reputations.
(The Sun)