Akinboro Rejects NBA Poll, Alleges Name Alteration, OTP Failures

• Defeated presidential candidate rejects poll outcome, says his name was altered and photograph omitted from ballot; ECNBA blamed cyberattack for disruptions

A defeated presidential candidate in the 2026 Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) election, Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro (SAN), has renewed his attack on the conduct of the poll, alleging that the exercise was riddled with irregularities that prevented him from effectively participating and undermined the credibility of the election. In a statement released after the conclusion of the election, Akinboro alleged that his name was altered on the presidential ballot from “Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro SAN” to “Aare Oluwatoyin Muyiwa Akinboro SAN,” describing the development as a grave error that compromised the integrity of the process. He further claimed that while the photograph of the eventual winner, Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya (SAN) , appeared on the electronic ballot, the photographs of the other presidential candidates, including his own, were omitted. According to him, the voter authentication One-Time Password (OTP) was sent through email instead of registered phone numbers as stipulated in the election guidelines, raising questions about the competence of the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) and its service providers.

“It therefore begs the question whether the above anomalies were also a part of the cyberattack rather than a clear demonstration of the incompetence and unpreparedness by both the Service Providers and the ECNBA,” Akinboro said. He further alleged that he was excluded from the presidential ballot because his correct name did not appear among the listed candidates. “I, Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN, was inexplicably excluded from the ballot for the office of President as the names on the ballot for the said office were: Aare Oluwatoyin Muyiwa Akinboro SAN, Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe SAN and Oyinkansola Badejo Okusanya SAN (Mrs. B),” he stated.

Akinboro also dismissed the ECNBA’s explanation that a cyberattack disrupted the voting platform, arguing that the reported technical failures pointed instead to poor preparation and incompetence. The ECNBA had earlier acknowledged that the electronic voting infrastructure was subjected to a “deliberate, coordinated and sustained cyberattack” shortly before voting was scheduled to commence at midnight on July 18, delaying the start of the exercise. The committee said its cybersecurity experts and the Election Voting Service Provider activated emergency measures to contain the attack and secure the platform. The system was eventually restored, and voting commenced at approximately 7:35 a.m. However, Akinboro alleged that the election platform failed to commence voting at the scheduled time despite the guidelines fixing the exercise to begin at midnight.

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According to him, the 2026 election was “built on a faulty foundation,” alleging unconstitutional appointments into the ECNBA, partisanship by the NBA leadership, and the selection of incompetent service providers. “It is no news that from the outset, the entire electoral process… was built on a faulty foundation,” he said, accusing the NBA leadership of deploying the association’s structures in favour of a preferred candidate. The senior advocate also claimed that he was unable to vote because he never received the authentication code required to access the voting portal, adding that “tens of thousands” of lawyers experienced similar problems. “Furthermore, I have participated in all the online National Officers election of the NBA but I must say that this election stands out as the most controversial,” he said.

Akinboro’s allegations were not isolated. Another presidential candidate, Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe (SAN), also raised serious concerns about the electoral process. In a protest letter to the ECNBA, Akangbe demanded the immediate suspension of the election, alleging that the electronic voting portal had collapsed and that voters were receiving OTPs via email instead of SMS in violation of the committee’s revised guidelines. He also complained that the presidential ballot displayed the photograph of only one candidate while omitting others. “A flawed, rushed election carried out today under these chaotic conditions cannot yield a credible result,” Akangbe said in the protest letter. “Whoever is declared the winner of an election conducted on a collapsed portal, with breached authentication, and on a visually defective ballot, will not lead the Bar with the confidence of the profession.”

Akinboro further alleged that interventions by senior members of the legal profession to address the challenges and preserve the credibility of the election were resisted by individuals who allegedly benefited from the existing system. Despite the outcome, he thanked lawyers across the country who supported his candidacy, saying the campaign enabled him to interact with members and exposed what he described as deep-rooted problems within the association. He alleged that many lawyers were subjected to pressure and intimidation during the election period, insisting that his campaign was aimed at reforming the NBA’s electoral process and restoring internal democracy.

Despite the disruptions, the ECNBA proceeded with the exercise after extending the voting period. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya (SAN) was subsequently declared the winner of the presidential election, polling 12,317 votes, representing 47.18 per cent of the total votes cast. She defeated her closest challenger, Lateef Akangbe, SAN, who secured 7,934 votes (30.39 per cent), while Akinboro garnered 5,855 votes (22.43 per cent). With her victory, Badejo-Okusanya becomes the 33rd President of the NBA and only the second woman to lead the association since its formation in 1933, following Priscilla Kuye, who served from 1991 to 1992. The election recorded a turnout of 26,106 valid votes out of 82,172 registered voters, representing approximately 31.8 per cent participation. The ECNBA Chairman, Aham Ejelam, SAN, announced the final results at the NBA National Secretariat in Abuja.

Akinboro Rejects NBA Poll, Alleges Name Alteration, OTP Failures