FACT-CHECK: Is Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya the First NBA President-elect to Visit a Sitting Nigerian President?
BY: Oluwaseye Ogunsanya
Claim:
Following her courtesy visit to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, NBA President-elect Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, became the subject of discussion on social media, with users questioning whether it is customary for newly elected NBA presidents to visit sitting Nigerian presidents shortly after their election and whether she is the first president-elect to do so.
Verdict:
True. Available evidence supports the claim. While engagements between serving NBA presidents and Nigerian presidents are not unusual, there is no documented record from the period reviewed of an NBA president-elect paying a courtesy visit to a sitting Nigerian president before inauguration.
Full Text:
The July 18, 2026 Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) national election has been followed by widespread controversy, legal challenges and disputes over the conduct of the poll, making it one of the most contentious elections in the association’s recent history.
On Sunday, July 19, 2026, the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) declared Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, winner of the election with 12,317 votes (47.18%), ahead of Lateef Akangbe, SAN, who polled 7,934 votes, and Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN, who secured 5,855 votes.
Her election marked a historic milestone, making her only the second female president in the NBA’s history and the first woman to emerge victorious through a competitive popular vote. However, the election was preceded by several contentious issues, including litigation over the association’s zoning arrangement, disputes surrounding voter verification, and allegations of external interference in the electoral process.
Following the declaration of the results, both defeated candidates rejected the outcome, alleging constitutional breaches, institutional bias, technological failures and irregularities in the electronic voting process. They argued that a prolonged outage of the e-voting portal disenfranchised eligible voters and compromised the credibility of the election.
According to media reports, Lateef Akangbe, SAN, filed a petition before the NBA National Officers Election Appeal Committee seeking the nullification of the election over what he described as substantial non-compliance with the NBA Constitution. Similarly, Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN, maintained that “there was no election” and called for an independent forensic audit of the e-voting platform by a globally recognised accounting firm.
The post-election dispute has also extended to the courts with The Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP) filing a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking, among other reliefs, to restrain the inauguration of the newly elected NBA leadership pending the determination of the matter.
On her part, Badejo-Okusanya has consistently defended the integrity of the election, maintaining that her victory reflected the genuine choice of NBA members. She has also publicly stated that she would resign if an independent forensic audit establishes that the election was manipulated in her favour.
Amid the lingering controversy, Badejo-Okusanya visited the State House, Abuja, on July 28, 2026, where she was received and congratulated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The visit subsequently generated debate on social media, with some users alleging that it was intended to bolster her political legitimacy amid the disputed election. Others questioned whether it is customary for newly elected presidents of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to pay a courtesy visit to the President shortly after their election, and whether Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, is the first NBA president-elect to do so.
This fact-check examines whether previous NBA presidents-elect have traditionally paid courtesy visits to sitting Nigerian presidents shortly after their election and whether Badejo-Okusanya is the first president-elect to do so.
Verification:
To verify the claim, FactCheckAfrica reviewed media reports, official statements and archival records documenting engagements between past Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) presidents and sitting Nigerian presidents from 2008 onwards.
Our review found several instances of serving NBA presidents meeting with Nigerian presidents. In 2023, the leadership of the NBA under then President Yakubu Chonoko Maikyau, SAN, paid a courtesy visit to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Similarly, in 2017, then President Muhammadu Buhari received an NBA delegation led by the association’s president, Abubakar Balarabe Mahmoud, SAN, at the State House, Abuja.
We also found records of official engagements between the NBA and previous administrations. For instance, former President Goodluck Jonathan attended the opening ceremony of the NBA’s 52nd Annual General Conference in 2012 during the tenure of then NBA President Joseph Daudu, SAN. At the event, Jonathan addressed members of the Bar and spoke about his administration’s performance.
However, these instances involved serving NBA presidents carrying out official engagements after assuming office. FactCheckAfrica found no record of any NBA president-elect paying a courtesy visit to a sitting Nigerian president before assuming office. Based on the evidence reviewed, Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya’s visit appears to be the first documented instance of an NBA president-elect paying a courtesy visit to a sitting Nigerian president before inauguration.
Conclusion:
FactCheckAfrica found multiple instances of serving Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) presidents engaging with sitting Nigerian presidents in the course of official duties. However, our review of available media reports, official statements and archival records from 2008 onwards found no record of an NBA president-elect paying a courtesy visit to a sitting Nigerian president before assuming office. Based on the available evidence, Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya’s visit appears to be the first documented instance of its kind.
