A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and candidate in the 2026 Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) presidential election, Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe, has challenged the outcome of the poll, urging the NBA National Officers Election Appeal Committee to nullify the election and order a fresh one.
In a petition dated July 27, 2026, Akangbe alleged that the July 18 election was marred by widespread irregularities, including the malfunction of the electronic voting platform, non-receipt of One-Time Passwords (OTPs) by eligible voters, the use of multiple voting websites, and the extension of the voting period beyond the advertised deadline.
He is contesting the declaration of Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okunsanya, SAN, as winner of the election. Badejo-Okunsanya was declared elected by the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) after polling 12,317 votes, representing 47.18 per cent of the total votes cast.
Akangbe secured 7,934 votes, representing 30.39 per cent, while Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro garnered 5,855 votes, representing 22.43 per cent.
In the petition filed before the NBA National Officers Election Appeal Committee in Abuja, Akangbe argued that the election was invalid due to alleged non-compliance with the NBA Constitution 2015 (as amended) and the revised guidelines issued by the ECNBA for the conduct of the 2026 national officers’ election.
A key plank of his challenge is the alleged failure of the electronic voting platform shortly after voting commenced.
Akangbe claimed that the voting website became inaccessible within minutes of the start of the election and remained down for more than seven hours.
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According to him, the ECNBA later informed voters that the disruption resulted from a coordinated cyberattack, a claim he said had not been independently verified.
He further alleged that the voting process was subsequently migrated to another website that had neither been approved by the NBA’s National Executive Committee nor tested by the candidates’ information technology representatives.
Akangbe also raised concerns over the deployment of multiple websites and voting links during the election, alleging that the development created confusion among voters.
The petitioner further claimed that the live results displayed during the election reflected a suspiciously predictable voting pattern in favour of the eventual winner.
He said an expert analysis suggested that the pattern of vote increases could indicate possible pre-programming of the voting system. Consequently, he requested access to the backend of the electronic voting platform and related technical records to facilitate an independent audit.
Akangbe also alleged that thousands of eligible voters were disenfranchised because they did not receive the OTPs required to authenticate and cast their votes.
He stated that while 82,213 members were listed as eligible voters, only 26,106 eventually voted, leaving 56,107 eligible voters unable to participate.
According to him, more than 25,000 of those allegedly disenfranchised voters were expected to support his candidacy.
He further claimed that he was unable to vote in the election despite being one of the candidates.
Akangbe argued that the inability of eligible voters to participate substantially affected the outcome of the poll.
Another issue raised in the petition relates to the duration of the election.
According to him, the election was scheduled to begin at midnight on July 18 and conclude at 11:59 p.m. the same day, but voting allegedly continued into the early hours of July 19.
He contended that the extension, which he said occurred without adequate notice or explanation, further undermined the transparency and credibility of the process.
The petitioner is also seeking access to extensive electronic records relating to the election, including the voters’ register, final result sheets, server and application logs, network traffic records, system backups, voter authentication records, voting timestamps, system error logs, OTP delivery records, security protocols, administrative access records, and other technical data.
He argued that the documents are necessary to facilitate his appeal and enable a comprehensive audit of the election process.
Akangbe maintained that the alleged irregularities and breaches were substantial, systemic, and significant enough to affect the outcome of the election, rendering the declared result incapable of being regarded as the product of a proper, regular, and valid electoral process.
Among the reliefs sought, he is asking the Appeal Committee to declare that the election was marred by irregularities and breaches that compromised its credibility and integrity.
He is also seeking an order nullifying the results, cancelling the election, directing the NBA to conduct a fresh presidential poll, and setting aside the declaration of Badejo-Okunsanya as the winner.
The petition names the Incorporated Trustees of the Nigerian Bar Association, the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association, and Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okunsanya, SAN, as respondents.
Filed on July 27, 2026, the petition is now before the NBA National Officers Election Appeal Committee for determination.
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