NBA President, Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okunsanya, SAN, FCIArb., has pledged to strengthen the Association’s electoral system, announcing a comprehensive review aimed at delivering more transparent, secure and credible elections.
The President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okunsanya, SAN, FCIArb., has reaffirmed her commitment to strengthening the integrity and credibility of the Association’s electoral process.
Speaking during her inaugural ceremony, Badejo-Okunsanya acknowledged the controversy and technological challenges that followed the recently concluded NBA national election, which reportedly prevented some eligible members from exercising their franchise.
The President, however, rejected allegations that the outcome of the election was manipulated or fraudulently predetermined, maintaining that she worked diligently, took her campaign message to lawyers across the country and received the mandate that brought her into office.
She said:
“I am conscious of the fact that the election which brought us here generated controversy, and that technological difficulties prevented a number of eligible members from exercising their franchise.
“I do not accept the allegation that the outcome was manipulated or fraudulently predetermined. I worked hard, took my message to lawyers across the country and received the mandate that has brought me before you today.”
The NBA President noted that confidence in an election is strengthened when legitimate concerns are examined openly rather than ignored.
She urged members of the Association to move beyond the disagreements generated by the concluded election and work collectively towards improving the credibility of future NBA elections.
“Our responsibility is not to trade accusations or remain imprisoned by the contest that has ended. It is to ensure that future NBA elections command even greater confidence than they already do among our members,” she stated.
Ajibade to Chair Electoral Reform Committee
Badejo-Okunsanya announced that an Electoral Reform Committee, to be chaired by Dr. Babatunde Ajibade, SAN, would be established to undertake a comprehensive examination of the NBA’s electoral architecture.
According to her, the committee will consult widely, receive memoranda and recommend the constitutional, institutional and technological reforms required to improve the Association’s electoral system.
She said the proposed reforms would be directed towards ensuring that NBA elections remain transparent, accessible, secure, auditable and worthy of the premier professional association.
The President also declared that universal suffrage within the NBA had come to stay.
“Let me make something very clear: universal suffrage has come to stay. Our task is to make it work better,” she said.
She invited her co-contestants, Egbe Amofin O’odua, regional Bar fora, NBA branches, past leaders, young lawyers, senior lawyers and other concerned members of the Association to participate constructively in the reform process.
“We may disagree about the election that has passed, but let us work together to build more confidence in the elections that lie ahead,” the President stated.
NBA Warns Against Abusive Campaigns
The NBA President also condemned the growing practice of campaign-related abuse, insults and personal attacks among lawyers, particularly on social media.
She called on her co-contestants, members of the Association and future candidates for NBA offices to lend their voices to the campaign against abusive political communication.
According to her, such conduct is incompatible with the dignity and nobility of the legal profession and will attract little tolerance under her administration.
“We will deal swiftly and decisively with any lawyer who makes abusive and insulting posts against any colleague, senior or junior,” she warned.
Badejo-Okunsanya stated that lawyers found engaging in abusive conduct would be reported to the appropriate disciplinary bodies, adding that such referrals would be publicised.
She observed that the language sometimes employed by lawyers against their colleagues in the name of NBA politics had brought the profession into disrepute and attracted concern from members of the public.
The President consequently urged lawyers to uphold civility, mutual respect and professional decorum in their political engagements and interactions.
The statement was issued by the National Publicity Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association, Dr. Prince I. Azubuike.
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