A group of aggrieved legal practitioners has instituted an ex parte motion before the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking an order to restrain the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) from proceeding with the inauguration of Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, as the 33rd President of the association.
​The legal action, filed on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, follows the recently concluded national executive elections conducted electronically by the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) over the weekend of July 18–19.
​In the suit filed against the NBA leadership and the ECNBA, the plaintiffs allege substantial irregularities and procedural flaws during the voting process, arguing that the outcome does not reflect the lawful will of the association’s electorate.
​Among the specific grievances cited in the court filings was Technical glitches that caused Widespread failure of the electronic voting portal during the 24-hour voting window, preventing registered members from casting their votes.
There was also the case of Authentication Failures and Low Voter Turnout concerns, over transparency, noting that only 26,184 out of 82,172 registered voters (31.86%) participated in the poll.
​The plaintiffs are requesting an interim injunction restraining the outgoing NBA administration from swearing in Badejo-Okusanya or any other declared officers, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit challenging the validity of the election.
​Badejo-Okusanya emerged victorious in the presidential contest after polling 12,317 votes (47.18%), defeating fellow Senior Advocates of Nigeria Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe (7,934 votes) and Olumuyiwa Akinboro (5,855 votes).
​Her victory marks a historic milestone as she stands to become the second female president in the NBA’s 66-year history and the first woman elected to the position through a direct ballot.
​The court has yet to fix a date for the preliminary hearing of the motion.
