A leading candidate for the presidency of the Nigerian Bar Association, Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, has written a personal letter to lawyers ahead of the NBA national officers’ election scheduled for Saturday, July 18, 2026.

In the letter titled “Members First. Always,” Badejo-Okusanya urged members of the Association to vote not merely for a candidate, but for the kind of Bar they want to build and leave for future generations.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria, who is seeking to become the 33rd President of the NBA, said her campaign had been shaped by months of engagement with lawyers across the country.

According to her, she had listened to the concerns of young lawyers struggling to build meaningful careers, senior practitioners worried about the future of the profession, law officers and public sector lawyers seeking greater recognition, in-house counsel, lawyers with disabilities demanding inclusion, and members asking what value the NBA brings to them.

She said the recurring question — “What does the NBA do for me?” — had guided every step of her campaign and strengthened her resolve to place members first.

Badejo-Okusanya said her focus is on practical and achievable solutions that would help lawyers earn better, live better and practise better.

She stated that her campaign had been issue-based, adding that she had treated her opponents with respect and chosen to focus on ideas rather than division.

“I have treated every opponent with respect; I have chosen to focus on issues rather than personalities, and on ideas rather than division,” she said.

Speaking on the controversies surrounding the NBA electoral process in recent weeks, Badejo-Okusanya maintained that the Association belongs to all its members and must be governed by its Constitution.

She said every constitutionally qualified lawyer deserves the right to vote and freely choose the leadership of the Association.

According to her, that principle is not merely an electoral issue but a defining value of the independent Bar.

“The NBA belongs to all its members, and the NBA Constitution must govern our affairs. Every constitutionally qualified lawyer deserves the right to vote and freely choose the leadership of our Association,” she said.

Badejo-Okusanya expressed gratitude to lawyers across the country for what she described as the warmth, kindness, prayers, encouragement and goodwill she had received during the campaign.

She said the experience had been one of the greatest honours of her professional life, regardless of the outcome of the election.

In her final appeal, she urged members to vote with the future of the profession in mind, saying the NBA must create real value for its members and remain independent, courageous, compassionate and guided by its Constitution.

“If you believe the NBA should create real value for its members; if you believe every lawyer deserves to be heard, respected and included; if you believe our Bar must remain independent, courageous, compassionate and firmly guided by its Constitution, then I humbly ask for your vote,” she said.

She added that her vision is to build a bolder Bar that creates lasting value for every lawyer and helps members move from surviving to thriving.

Badejo-Okusanya signed off the letter by thanking lawyers for the privilege of seeking to serve them, declaring: “The Bar is my constituency. It always has been, and it always will be.”

The letter has been widely circulated among NBA members as the Association prepares for its national elections, with her campaign message centred on member welfare, constitutionalism, inclusion, professional development and the independence of the Bar.

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