ALDRAP asks court to stop swearing-in of NBA President-elect, Badejo-Okusanya, others

The Incorporated Trustees of the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP) have requested a Federal High Court in Abuja to stop the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) from swearing in its President-elect, Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, and other newly elected national officers pending the determination of a suit challenging aspects of the 2026 NBA presidential election.

The association is also seeking the leave of the court to join Badejo-Okusanya, Akinboro, Akangbe, Amnesty International (Nigeria Office), Yiaga Africa and the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) as parties to the proceedings.

It further prayed the court to direct all parties to maintain the status quo until the case is determined.

Badejo-Okusanya polled 12,317 votes to defeat Lateef Akangbe, SAN, and Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN.

She is scheduled to be sworn in on August 21, 2026, to succeed the outgoing NBA President, Afam Osigwe, SAN.

Named as defendants in the suit are the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Nigerian Bar Association.

According to ALDRAP, the application became necessary because the substantive suit raises issues regarding the legality and constitutionality of the processes leading to the 2026 NBA election.

The association cited alleged voter disenfranchisement, reported technical challenges affecting the electronic voting platform, alleged non-compliance with the timetable approved by the NBA National Executive Council and questions relating to the applicability of constitutional principles to the electoral process.

ALDRAP argued that the proposed additional parties are necessary to enable the court effectively determine all issues arising from the disputed election and the planned transfer of leadership.

The fresh application expands an earlier suit in which ALDRAP sought declarations on the role of the Attorney-General of the Federation in NBA affairs.

In the originating summons, the association also asked the court to restrain the Attorney-General from interfering in the NBA election, sought judicial pronouncements on its “Blue Silks” Senior Counsel designation for non-litigation lawyers, and requested orders appointing the Nigerian Law Society and the Law Society of Lesotho as independent observers for the election.

In the accompanying affidavit, ALDRAP’s Administrative Secretary, Jesse Williams Amuga, questioned why observer organisations had not publicly released reports on the conduct of the electronic voting process more than 24 hours after the poll.

“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 ECNBA alleged they deployed,” he said.

He added that the silence of the observer groups had raised questions about the credibility of the election.
Neither the NBA nor the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) had responded to the fresh court application as of the time this report was filed.