Mrs Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, has been elected the 33rd President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA.
Badejo-Okusanya polled 12,317 votes, representing 47.18 per cent of the total votes cast, to defeat her closest rivals, Mr Lateef Akangbe, SAN, who secured 7,934 votes, and Mr Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN, who polled 5,855 votes.
Other elected national officers are Oghenero Okoro, who emerged First Vice President with 11,024 votes, Afam Okeke, elected General Secretary with 8,478 votes, Aghogho Gladys, who won the position of Assistant General Secretary with 14,312 votes, and Chinelo Ofoegbunam, elected Welfare Secretary with 14,911 votes, among other successful candidates.
The Chairman of the Electoral Committee of the NBA, Aham Ejelam, SAN, announced the results at the NBA headquarters in Abuja after the elections, which concluded in the early hours of Sunday.
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The outgoing NBA President, Mr Afam Osigwe, SAN, said attempts by some colleagues to truncate the election failed, adding that every effort to derail the process was resisted.
He described the period leading to the election as a trying time for the bar, alleging that many went to great lengths to rubbish the association.
He urged those who won to be magnanimous in victory and encouraged those who lost to remain hopeful, saying there was always another day.
Osigwe said the cyberattack showed that more needed to be done in the area of data protection and called for collective efforts to conduct the affairs of the association in an acceptable manner.
He said the story of how the election was almost sabotaged would someday be told.
“The NBA, being an association of lawyers, should be able to determine the course of its electoral process while promoting the rule of law.
“Mistakes might have been made during the process, but I have confidence that my successor will correct them.
“I urge winners to extend the hand of fellowship to those who lost and work together with a united front to move the Bar forward. The unity of the bar cannot and should never be negotiated,” he said.
He wished the new executive committee a successful tenure and expressed the hope that the NBA would never witness a day when its leaders would be elected by people other than lawyers.
NAN
