NEWS
“How Can I Be the Candidate of the Tinubu Administration When the Tinubu Administration is Not a Member of the NBA?” — NBA President-Elect, Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya Sparks, Vows to Resign If Election Rigging Is Proven, Defends Credibility of Poll
President-elect of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, has declared that she would immediately resign from office if credible evidence emerges showing that the election which produced her as the next leader of the association was manipulated.
Badejo-Okusanya made the pledge during an interview on TVC News on Thursday, where she firmly dismissed allegations by some contestants and members of the legal profession that the 2026 NBA presidential election was rigged in her favour.
Defending the integrity of the electoral process, the senior advocate maintained that the electronic voting system underwent unprecedented public scrutiny throughout the exercise and that there was no indication of electoral malpractice.
“The process that they say they cannot trust, my opponents are saying that it was rigged in my favour and thankfully, this electoral process has come under the greatest scrutiny that any of our elections have come under since we started universal suffrage and electronic voting,” she said.
Badejo-Okusanya explained that the voting pattern remained transparent and consistent from the beginning of the election until its conclusion, insisting there were no suspicious spikes in votes or unusual developments that could suggest manipulation.
“From the time that I led, I led the election throughout consistently. There was never a time that I dropped down. There was never a time that any of my opponents passed me. I led consistently and the gap kept widening.
“The votes were trickling in organically. There was no evidence of dumping, which is what they say happens when there’s rigging going on. You didn’t suddenly see 20, 30, 50 votes coming.
“This election was the most watched. We have a system that refreshes every 10 seconds. People were watching and reposting. It was clear that there was no rigging,” she said.
Responding to comparisons with former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who famously admitted that the election which brought him into office was flawed, Badejo-Okusanya reiterated that she had no intention of remaining in office if the legitimacy of her own election was successfully challenged.
“I had no desire to be a president whose electoral process, the process that brought me to power, was being questioned.
“I told my co-contestants in public that if there was any indication or allegation that the process that brought me to power was flawed, I wouldn’t even discuss it with anyone before I resigned. That still remains my goal,” she said.
The NBA president-elect also addressed claims that she enjoyed the backing of the outgoing NBA President, Afam Osigwe, SAN, during the election, saying he never informed her that she was his preferred candidate.
“As a matter of fact, he never told me that.
“If he said it to anyone else, he never said it to me. I don’t know whether the cordiality and civility that he showed to me, whether I don’t have any impression that he wasn’t showing it to anyone else,” she said.
She further rejected suggestions that her family ties to the Federal Government would affect the independence of the Nigerian Bar Association or influence her leadership.
“How can I be the candidate of the Tinubu administration when the Tinubu administration is not a member of the NBA?” she asked.
Emphasising her commitment to the legal profession, Badejo-Okusanya said her loyalty would remain solely with members of the association, noting that the NBA Constitution clearly defines the responsibilities of its president.
“The constitution of the NBA is very clear. I read it very closely before I offered myself to serve. I’m well aware of the responsibilities of the president of the NBA, and I have the mandate of members of the NBA to lead them. My obligation is to them,” she said.
Looking ahead to her tenure, the president-elect outlined her vision for the association, promising to make the NBA more professionally relevant to lawyers while reinforcing its role as a defender of justice, the rule of law, and the rights of vulnerable Nigerians.
“For the members, I want them to remember my presidency as one that made the NBA more relevant to them professionally.
“For Nigerians, I want them to remember the NBA as one that took its responsibility to protect and promote the rule of law, to be the watchdog of society and to defend those who are less able to speak for themselves very, very seriously,” she said.