The controversy surrounding the recently concluded national elections of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has taken a fresh legal dimension, as a group of lawyers has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking an order to halt the inauguration of the association’s President-elect, Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya (SAN), along with other newly elected national officers.
The legal action comes amid lingering allegations of irregularities that have continued to trail the electronic election conducted by the association.
Badejo-Okusanya emerged winner of the fiercely contested presidential election after securing 12,317 votes, defeating her closest challengers, Mr. Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe (SAN) and Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro (SAN). She is scheduled to be sworn into office on August 21, 2026, when she is expected to assume leadership from the outgoing NBA President, Mr. Afam Osigwe (SAN).
However, the planned transition now faces uncertainty following an application filed before the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1471/2026, was instituted by the Incorporated Trustees of the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP). The defendants in the matter are the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and the Nigerian Bar Association.
Initially, ALDRAP had approached the court seeking orders restraining the Attorney-General from interfering in the conduct of the NBA election. The association also asked the court to declare that neither the AGF nor the NBA possesses the authority to interfere with the conferment of its “Blue Silks” rank, an honorary designation introduced as an alternative to the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) title for legal practitioners who specialise in non-litigation practice.
The group further requested the court to appoint the Nigerian Law Society (NLS) and the Law Society of Lesotho as independent observers to monitor the NBA election process.
Following the conclusion of the election, ALDRAP filed additional reliefs on July 20, 2026, expanding the scope of the suit and asking the court to include several individuals and organisations as parties in the proceedings.
Among those sought to be joined are the NBA President-elect, Mrs. Badejo-Okusanya (SAN); her fellow presidential contestants, Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro (SAN) and Mr. Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe (SAN); as well as Amnesty International (Nigeria Office), YIAGA Africa and the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG).
According to the fresh application, these individuals and organisations are necessary parties whose participation is essential for the effective determination of the legal issues arising from the election.
Central to the application is a request for an order restraining the NBA from inaugurating the newly elected leadership pending the determination of the suit.
Specifically, the plaintiff urged the court to grant:
“An order of interim and/or perpetual injunction restraining the 2nd Respondent (NBA), its agents, privies, National Executive Committee, or any persons acting through them, from swearing in Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, or any other person as President of the Nigerian Bar Association or into any other national office until the final determination of this suit or further order of this Honourable Court.”
The plaintiff also requested an order directing that the current leadership structure of the association be maintained until the court reaches a final decision on the matter.
In support of the application, ALDRAP argued that there are substantial legal questions requiring judicial interpretation regarding the validity of the election and the processes leading to it.
According to the association, the pending suit challenges the legality, constitutionality and overall credibility of the 2026 NBA election.
Among the issues raised are allegations of voter disenfranchisement, technical failures experienced during the electronic voting process, non-compliance with the timetable approved by the NBA National Executive Committee (NEC), and questions surrounding the application of constitutional principles under Section 134(2) of the 1999 Constitution.
The plaintiff maintained that allowing the inauguration of the elected officers before the court resolves these issues could undermine the integrity of the judicial process and potentially render the proceedings ineffective if the election is eventually nullified.
ALDRAP further contended that the organisations it seeks to join as parties—including Amnesty International, YIAGA Africa and the Transition Monitoring Group—played roles connected to election observation and therefore possess information that may assist the court in determining whether the electoral process met acceptable standards.
Commenting on the development, ALDRAP’s Administrative Secretary, Mr. Jesse Williams Amuga, expressed concern over what he described as the silence of election observers following the conclusion of the exercise.
According to him, despite being identified as observers, none of the organisations has released a comprehensive report detailing its observations of the electronic voting process.
Amuga argued that the absence of independent post-election assessments raises further questions about the transparency and credibility of the election.
“Twenty-four hours after the alleged NBA elections, not a single international or domestic election observer has released any report to corroborate their observations of the e-voting infrastructure that both the NBA President and the Electoral Committee of the NBA claimed was deployed,” he said.
He added that the continued silence of observer groups such as Amnesty International, YIAGA Africa and the Transition Monitoring Group had fuelled public concerns over the conduct of the poll.
According to Amuga, “If no independent observers are commenting on the alleged NBA elections, that speaks volumes.”
The latest court action represents another chapter in the controversy that has surrounded the NBA’s 2026 national election. Before the poll, several lawyers and stakeholders had raised concerns over the electronic voting platform, voter verification procedures and other aspects of the election framework.
Despite the criticisms, the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association proceeded with the election and subsequently declared Badejo-Okusanya the winner.
With her inauguration scheduled for August 21, attention now shifts to the Federal High Court, whose decision on the pending application could determine whether the transition to a new NBA leadership proceeds as planned or is temporarily halted pending the outcome of the substantive suit.
