Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okunsanya, was on Sunday declared the president-elect of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) after a keenly contested election.
She will be the 33rd President of the lawyers’ body.
Her victory means women now occupy all the key positions in the judiciary, including the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, Nigerian Law School, all the NBA sections and Lagos Branch.
In her acceptance speech, Badejo-Okunsanya described the outcome as a mandate to build a bolder Bar that works for everyone and promised to improve welfare, unite the Bar and lead with integrity, courage and accountability.
Meanwhile, Outgoing NBA President Afam Osigwe (SAN) has appealed for calm and moderation, urging lawyers to put the election behind them and work towards preserving the unity of the association.
The Electoral Committee of the NBA (ECNBA) declared Badejo-Okunsanya winner after she polled 12,317 votes to defeat Akangbe, who scored 7,934 votes, and Akinboro, who polled 5,855.
Badejo-Okunsanya will be the first elected female president of the NBA.