A candidate in the just concluded 2026 presidential election of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) , Mr. Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe (SAN) , has called for the conduct of a fresh poll, asking the NBA National Officers Election Appeal Committee (NBA-NOEAC) to nullify the outcome of the exercise over alleged widespread irregularities.

The senior lawyer described the exercise as substantial non-compliance with the NBA Constitution, 2015 (as amended), and the guidelines issued by the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association.

In a petition dated July 27, 2026, Akangbe urged the committee to declare the July 18 election invalid, set aside the declaration of Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okunsanya (SAN) , as winner, and order a rerun, citing what he described as substantial non-compliance with the NBA Constitution, 2015 (as amended), and the guidelines issued by the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association.

According to results announced by the ECNBA, Badejo-Okunsanya secured 12,317 votes, representing 47.18 per cent of the total votes cast. Akangbe polled 7,934 votes (30.39 per cent), while Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro (SAN) garnered 5,855 votes (22.43 per cent).

Akangbe’s petition centres on alleged failures in the electronic voting process. He claimed that the official voting platform became inaccessible within minutes of the commencement of voting and remained down for more than seven hours. While the ECNBA reportedly attributed the disruption to a coordinated cyberattack, he argued that the claim had not been independently verified.

He further alleged that the election was later migrated to another voting platform which, according to him, was neither approved by the NBA National Executive Council (NEC) nor subjected to testing by the candidates’ information technology representatives.

The use of multiple voting links and websites, he said, created confusion and undermined confidence in the integrity of the process.

The senior advocate also questioned the voting pattern reflected in the live results, alleging that expert analysis suggested a predictable progression of votes in favour of the eventual winner.

He has consequently requested access to the backend of the electronic voting system and other technical records to enable an independent forensic audit.

Akangbe additionally alleged that thousands of eligible lawyers were disenfranchised due to failure to receive the One-Time Passwords (OTPs) required to vote. He noted that although 82,213 lawyers were listed as eligible voters, only 26,106 successfully cast their votes, leaving 56,107 unable to participate.

He claimed that more than 25,000 of the affected voters were expected to support his candidacy and further alleged that he personally could not vote despite being one of the contestants.

The petitioner also challenged the duration of the exercise, arguing that although voting was scheduled to end at 11:59 p.m. on July 18, it was extended into the early hours of July 19 without adequate notice or explanation.

As part of his appeal, Akangbe is seeking access to a wide range of electronic records, including the voters’ register, final results, server and application logs, system backups, network traffic records, authentication logs, voting timestamps, OTP delivery records, security protocols, and administrative access logs, among others.

He maintained that the alleged irregularities were substantial and capable of materially affecting the outcome of the election, insisting that the declared result could not be regarded as credible, transparent, or valid.

The Incorporated Trustees of the Nigerian Bar Association, the ECNBA, and Mrs. Badejo-Okunsanya were listed as respondents in the petition.