The controversy surrounding the recently concluded Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) national election has taken a fresh turn, with a group of lawyers asking the Federal High Court in Abuja to stop the swearing-in of President-elect, Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya (SAN), and other newly elected national officers.
Badejo-Okusanya won the July 2026 election with 12,317 votes, defeating Lateef Akangbe (SAN) and Olumuyiwa Akinboro (SAN). She is scheduled to be inaugurated on August 21, 2026, succeeding the outgoing NBA President, Afam Osigwe (SAN).
The election, conducted electronically, has been dogged by allegations of irregularities.
The application forms part of a pending suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1471/2026, filed 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.
In its original originating summons, ALDRAP sought to restrain the AGF from interfering in the NBA election and asked the court to declare that neither the AGF nor the NBA could interfere with the conferment of the Blue Silks rank of Senior Counsel of Nigeria, introduced by the association as an alternative to the SAN title for non-litigation lawyers.
The group also requested that the Nigerian Law Society (NLS) and the Law Society of Lesotho be appointed as independent observers for the NBA election.
In additional reliefs filed on July 20, 2026, ALDRAP asked the court to join Badejo-Okusanya, Akinboro, Akangbe, Amnesty International (Nigeria office or its representative), Yiaga Africa and the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) as parties to the suit.
The association specifically sought an order restraining the NBA, its National Executive Committee and its agents from swearing in Badejo-Okusanya or any other elected national officer pending the determination of the case.
It also urged the court to order the maintenance of the status quo in the NBA leadership until the suit is resolved.
According to ALDRAP, the suit challenges the validity, legality and constitutionality of the 2026 NBA election, citing alleged voter disenfranchisement, technical failures of the electronic voting platform, non-compliance with the NBA National Executive Council-approved timetable and constitutional issues relating to the conduct of the election.
The association argued that the additional parties were necessary for the effective determination of the issues surrounding the election and the planned leadership transition.
ALDRAP’s Administrative Secretary, Jesse Williams Amuga, also questioned the conduct of the election, expressing concern that none of the election observers had publicly released reports on the exercise.
He claimed the absence of observer reports from organisations such as Amnesty International, Yiaga Africa and the Transition Monitoring Group had raised further questions about the credibility of the electoral process.
