VIDEO: I’ll resign if I find out my NBA election was rigged — Badejo-Okusanya

President-elect of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Afam Osigwe Badejo-Okusanya, has declared that she would resign if it is established that the election which produced her as president was manipulated.

Speaking during an interview on TVC News on Thursday, Badejo-Okusanya dismissed allegations by some contestants and lawyers that the 2026 NBA presidential election was rigged in her favour, insisting the process was transparent and subjected to unprecedented scrutiny.

According to her, the election remained under close observation from the beginning to the end, making it difficult for any form of manipulation to go unnoticed.

“The process that they say they cannot trust, my opponents are saying that it was rigged in my favour and thankfully, this electoral process has come under the greatest scrutiny that any of our elections have come under since we started universal suffrage and electronic voting,” she said.

She maintained that she led the race throughout the exercise, noting that the margin between her and the other candidates steadily increased as votes were counted.

“From the time that I led, I led the election throughout consistently. There was never a time that I dropped down. There was never a time that any of my opponents passed me. I led consistently and the gap kept widening,” she said.

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Badejo-Okusanya added that the voting pattern showed no signs of irregularities.

“The votes were trickling in organically. There was no evidence of dumping, which is what they say happens when there’s rigging going on. You didn’t suddenly see 20, 30 or 50 votes coming.

“This election was the most watched. We have a system that refreshes every 10 seconds. People were watching and reposting. It was clear that there was no rigging,” she added.

She stressed that she had no interest in presiding over the NBA if doubts remained about the credibility of the election.

“I had no desire to be a president whose electoral process, the process that brought me to power, was being questioned.

“I told my co-contestants in public that if there was any indication or allegation that the process that brought me to power was flawed, I wouldn’t even discuss it with anyone before I resigned. That still remains my goal,” she said.

Responding to claims allegedly made by one of her opponents, Badejo-Okusanya said no such concerns were ever raised directly with her.

“As a matter of fact, he never told me that. If he said it to anyone else, he never said it to me. I don’t know whether the cordiality and civility that he showed to me, whether I don’t have any impression that he wasn’t showing it to anyone else,” she said.

The president-elect also rejected suggestions that she was backed by the administration of President Bola Tinubu.

“How can I be the candidate of the Tinubu administration when the Tinubu administration is not a member of the NBA?” she asked.

She reaffirmed her commitment to serving members of the association in line with its constitution.

“The constitution of the NBA is very clear. I read it very closely before I offered myself to serve. I’m well aware of the responsibilities of the president of the NBA, and I have the mandate of members of the NBA to lead them. My obligation is to them,” she said.

Speaking on her priorities, Badejo-Okusanya said she hopes her administration will strengthen the professional relevance of the NBA while upholding the rule of law.

“For the members, I want them to remember my presidency as one that made the NBA more relevant to them professionally.

“For Nigerians, I want them to remember the NBA as one that took its responsibility to protect and promote the rule of law, to be the watchdog of society and to defend those who are less able to speak for themselves very, very seriously,” she said.

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