Fresh legal challenges have emerged against the recently concluded Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, national election, with a group of lawyers asking the Federal High Court in Abuja to halt the inauguration of President elect Oyinkansola Badejo Okusanya, SAN, and other newly elected national officers.
Badejo Okusanya, who secured 12,317 votes to defeat Lateef Akangbe, SAN, and Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN, is scheduled to be sworn in on August 21, 2026, succeeding the outgoing NBA President, Afam Osigwe, SAN.
The application was filed as part of a pending suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1471/2026 between the Incorporated Trustees of the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners, ALDRAP, as the plaintiff, and the Attorney General of the Federation and the NBA as defendants.
In fresh reliefs filed before the court, ALDRAP requested that Badejo Okusanya, Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN, Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe, SAN, Amnesty International Nigeria, YIAGA and the Transition Monitoring Group, TMG, be joined as parties in the case.
The association is seeking an order restraining the NBA, its National Executive Committee and other officials from swearing in Badejo Okusanya or any other elected national officer until the court determines the substantive suit.
It also asked the court to maintain the current leadership of the association pending the outcome of the case.
ALDRAP argued that the suit challenges the legality and constitutionality of the 2026 NBA election, citing allegations of voter disenfranchisement, technical failures of the electronic voting platform, non compliance with the NBA timetable and other issues relating to the conduct of the election.
Commenting on the matter, ALDRAP Administrative Secretary, Jesse Williams Amuga, questioned the credibility of the election process, expressing concern that observer groups had yet to publish reports on their findings.
According to him, the absence of public reports from election observers has raised questions about the transparency of the process.
The court is yet to rule on the application.
