President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday received the President-elect of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, during a courtesy visit at the State House (Presidential Villa) in Abuja.
Badejo-Okusanya was accompanied by several prominent women in the legal field and her campaign team, including:
Prof. Foluke Dada-Lawanson, Dean of the Faculty of Law, Caleb University
Mrs. Ezinwa Okoroafor, President of the International Federation of Women Lawyers
Princess Hadiza Afegbua, FCT Lead of the NBA Women Forum
Mrs. Ramlat Ridhwan, BBold Campaign Team Publicity Lead
The meeting occurred ahead of Badejo-Okusanya’s formal assumption of office as the 33rd President of the NBA. She is scheduled to succeed Afam Osigwe, SAN, at the NBA’s Annual General Conference (set for Enugu or Port Harcourt in August 2026) for a two-year tenure.
Background on the Election
Badejo-Okusanya made history as the first woman directly elected by members as NBA president (and only the second female president overall, after Chief Priscilla Kuye, who served 1991–1992). She won the electronic national election held July 18–19, 2026, polling the highest votes among three Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs).
(Note: Some reports cite slight variations in exact vote tallies, such as around 9,891 or the more commonly reported 12,317 votes representing ~47.18% of ballots cast, with turnout around 31–32% of registered voters.)
President Tinubu had previously congratulated her on the victory shortly after the results, hailing it as a “watershed moment” for the legal profession and a triumph for merit, excellence, and gender inclusion. He praised her distinguished career marked by integrity and commitment to justice, and urged unity in the Bar while advancing judicial reforms and the rule of law.
The Tuesday visit was a standard courtesy call with photo opportunities of handshakes and group interactions. No detailed readout of private discussions was released in initial reports, though such meetings typically cover collaboration between the executive and the Bar on justice sector issues, constitutional matters, and national development.
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