*As List Shows Lopsided Contests Across National Officer Positions
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The Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association has released the final list of candidates qualified to contest in the 2026 NBA General Elections, clearing three candidates for the presidency, including two Senior Advocates and the first female aspirant, five candidates for General Secretary, seven for Assistant General Secretary, five for Welfare Secretary, and a sole unopposed candidate for Treasurer, in a list signed by ECNBA Chairman Aham Ejelam SAN and Secretary Ibrahim Aliyu Nassarawa Esq. that marks the first time the committee’s leadership has publicly identified itself after months of controversy over what critics had described as a “faceless” electoral body.
The release of the list is a significant milestone in what has been one of the most contentious NBA electoral cycles in recent memory, marked by allegations that the ECNBA was handpicked by NBA President Afam Osigwe SAN rather than nominated by NEC members, the Egbe Amofin Oodua suit that has now moved to the Court of Appeal, Chief Yomi Alliyu SAN’s blistering critique of the president’s neutrality, and widespread concerns about the integrity of the online voting system.
The list clears 33 candidates for national officer positions and 16 candidates for NBA representatives to the General Council of the Bar, setting the stage for what promises to be a fiercely contested election across virtually every position.
Three candidates have been cleared to contest the NBA presidency, the most consequential position in the organised legal profession in Africa.
Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro SAN — A Senior Advocate whose candidacy represents the Inner Bar’s continued interest in the NBA’s leadership. His traditional title “Aare” suggests deep roots in the Yoruba legal and cultural establishment.
Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe SAN — The former Chairman of the NBA Lagos Branch (2019-2021) and former Chairman of the NBA Finance Committee (2022-2024), who has been one of the most vocal critics of the Legal Practitioners Bill 2025, warning that its compulsory two-year pupillage provision without capacity guarantees risks “crushing young lawyers” and that the NBA should not control practising licences because it is “an advocacy body, not a neutral regulator.” His candidacy brings a track record of branch-level leadership, national committee service, and public engagement on issues affecting young lawyers.
Oyinkansola Badejo-Okunsanya — The first female candidate in the current presidential race, whose candidacy has been at the centre of controversy following allegations by Chief Alliyu SAN that NBA President Osigwe has been “campaigning openly, albeit indirectly and without mentioning name, that gender must be considered in voting in the next election,” with Alliyu noting that “there is only one female that has expressed her interest to contest the coming election. Even the blind knows who the President was selling to the public.”
The three-way race ensures that the NBA presidential contest will feature debate over the direction of the Association’s policy on key issues including the Legal Practitioners Bill, digital licensing, CPD compliance, ECNBA reform, and the relationship between the Bar and the Bench.
First Vice President
Three candidates are vying for the position of First Vice President:
Chief Oghenero Okoro, Luqman Laoye Esq., and Onimisi Stephen Obajaja Esq.
Second Vice President
A single candidate, Egya Nuhu John, has been cleared for the position of Second Vice President. If no other candidates were disqualified during the screening process, John may be returned unopposed.
Third Vice President
A single candidate, Pepple Iniobong Irene, has been cleared for the Third Vice President position, suggesting another potential walkover.
General Secretary
The position of General Secretary, one of the NBA’s most operationally important roles, has attracted five candidates, making it one of the most competitive races:
Afamefuna Okwudili Okeke, Barth Okoye-Aniche, Chidi Vick Ezenwafor, Dr. Rapuluchukwu Ernest Nduka, and Nnaebuka Onyebuchi Nwaeze, and Okey Leo Ohagba.
The six-candidate field for General Secretary reflects the significance of a position that controls the day-to-day administration of the Association, manages communications with branches and members, and serves as the institutional memory of the NBA’s national executive.
Assistant General Secretary
Seven candidates are competing for Assistant General Secretary:
Benjamin Emeka Enyiagu, Chiduabo Prince Henry Mamah, Gladys Aghogho Okpomor, Magaji Tijjani, Onwudinjo Lucky Eloka, Osatohamwen Uwagboe, and Osarodion Michael Igiede.
The seven-candidate field makes this one of the most crowded contests in the election, reflecting the position’s role as a stepping stone to higher NBA office and its importance in the Association’s administrative structure.
Treasurer
Only one candidate, Esther Ifeoma Jimoh, has been cleared for the position of Treasurer. Unless there were other aspirants who were disqualified during screening, Jimoh appears set to be returned unopposed, making her the only national officer candidate who faces no competition.
Welfare Secretary
Five candidates are vying for Welfare Secretary:
Akinwunmi Samson Laleye, Aigbokhai Oaikhena Osagie, Chinelo Audrey Ofoegbunam, Chiwendu Ugochukwu, and Ernest Ezindu Uwanaka.
Publicity Secretary
Two candidates are competing for Publicity Secretary: Ayewa Lawrence Ikpehai and Prince Ikwuadi Azubuike.
Assistant Publicity Secretary
Four candidates are cleared for Assistant Publicity Secretary: Lukman Oladimeji Jaiyeola, Aki Uwomano Anthony Junior, Hadiza Nasir Ahmad, and Meti Monday Ukpeh.
General Council Of The Bar Representatives
The ECNBA also cleared 16 candidates for NBA representatives to the General Council of the Bar, distributed across Nigeria’s three geopolitical zones.
Eastern Zone (8 candidates): Arinze Celestine Chukwu, Assam Akpan Assan, Chidi Betsy Nnaji (Mrs), Celestine Nwaokoma Nwankwo, Daniel Ka-Ayii Kip, Jane Omonor Apollos-James, Joy Obianuju Nnani, and Kingsley Chukwunonso Ehujuo.
Western Zone (3 candidates): Dhikrullah Adewale Balogun, Precious Ndidi Nwadimuya, and Rotimi Komolafe.
Northern Zone (5 candidates): Dafer Ledak Dazuk, Friday Owicho Enejo, Huwaila Muhammad Ibrahim, Kadir Temim, and Olorunmola Michael Olarewaju.
The distribution shows the Eastern Zone generating the most candidates for General Council representation, with eight aspirants, while the Western Zone has the fewest with three.
The ECNBA Chairman Emerges
The list is signed by Aham Ejelam SAN as Chairman (ECNBA 2026) and Ibrahim Aliyu Nassarawa Esq. as Secretary (ECNBA 2026), marking the first formal public identification of the committee’s leadership.
The ECNBA had been at the centre of controversy for months, with critics, including Alliyu SAN and the Egbe Amofin Oodua, alleging that its members were handpicked by NBA President Osigwe rather than nominated through the democratic process prescribed by the NBA Constitution. The committee’s chairman had been described as “faceless” by commentators who questioned why the person overseeing the Bar’s elections had not publicly identified himself or engaged with the membership.
The release of the qualified candidates list, bearing Ejelam SAN’s name and signature, ends the anonymity but does not resolve the underlying controversy about how the committee was constituted. The Egbe Amofin suit challenging the ECNBA’s composition has been adjourned sine die at the Oyo State High Court following the entry of an appeal at the Court of Appeal (CA/IB/176/2026), meaning the legal challenge to the committee’s legitimacy remains unresolved even as it proceeds with its electoral functions.
What The List Reveals
The qualified candidates list reveals several notable features of the 2026 NBA election.
Gender representation remains limited at the presidential level but is present across other positions. Badejo-Okunsanya’s presidential candidacy is historic as the first female aspirant in the current cycle, and female candidates appear in several other races including Assistant General Secretary, Welfare Secretary, and General Council representation.
Inner Bar presence is concentrated at the presidential level, with two SANs among the three presidential candidates and the ECNBA chairman himself being a SAN. The General Secretary and other positions are being contested primarily by members of the Outer Bar.
Regional distribution across the candidates reflects the NBA’s national character, with aspirants from across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones competing for positions at every level.
Competitive versus uncontested races vary significantly. While the presidency has three candidates, General Secretary has six, and Assistant General Secretary has seven, both the Second Vice President and Third Vice President positions appear to have single candidates, and the Treasurer position has only one aspirant.
The Voting Question
The release of the qualified candidates list brings the question of how the election will be conducted into sharp focus.
Alliyu SAN had called on Osigwe to summon an emergency NEC meeting to reform the voting process by “using NIN of voters with their Supreme Court enrolment numbers as opposed to emails,” which he alleged have been “manipulated by cabals.”
The ECNBA’s list does not address the voting methodology, which remains one of the most contentious aspects of the election. The controversy over online voting, allegations of email manipulation, and concerns about the verification of voter identity will intensify as the election date approaches.
The Neutrality Question
The presidential race will be the ultimate test of whether the ECNBA can conduct an election that all sides accept as free and fair.
Alliyu SAN’s allegation that Osigwe “openly said that he could not be neutral in the election of his successor” and that a principal NBA employee has been “using the campaign motto of a candidate on publications sent to the whole world through social media” means the election will be conducted under intense scrutiny, with any irregularity, however minor, seized upon as evidence of presidential interference.
The presence of Badejo-Okunsanya as the sole female candidate, combined with Alliyu’s allegation that Osigwe was “campaigning openly that gender must be considered in voting,” ensures that any institutional support for her candidacy, whether real or perceived, will be attributed to presidential influence.
For Akinboro SAN and Akangbe SAN, the election represents an opportunity to challenge both the incumbent president’s preferred outcome and each other’s vision for the Bar’s future.
What Happens Next
ECNBA COMPILED_LIST_OF_QUALIFIED_CANDIDATESWith the qualified candidates list now published, the next steps in the electoral process include the campaign period, the finalisation of the voters’ register, the determination of the voting methodology and timeline, and ultimately the election itself.
The ECNBA’s ability to conduct an election that the entire Bar accepts as legitimate will determine whether the Association’s internal governance crisis is resolved through democratic process or whether the result generates another round of litigation, challenges, and institutional instability.
For the more than 200,000 members of the Nigerian Bar Association, the candidates are now known. The choice is theirs to make. Whether the process through which they make that choice is trusted will depend on the ECNBA’s conduct in the weeks ahead.
The list has been published. The race begins.
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