Kemi Pinheiro urges incoming NBA president to prioritise reconciliation and unity
Kemi Pinheiro, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and legal scholar, has urged the president‑elect of the Nigerian Bar Association ("NBA"), Oyinkansola Badejo‑Okusanya, to make reconciliation and unity the defining priorities of her administration. Pinheiro made the call in a congratulatory statement shared with "PREMIUM TIMES" on Sunday, after Badejo‑Okusanya’s historic election as the first woman directly elected to lead Africa’s largest lawyers’ association. She won the election with 12,317 votes (47.18% of 26,106 valid ballots), defeating Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe (7,934 votes, 30.39%) and Olumuyiwa Akinboro (5,855 votes, 22.43%). Voter turnout was low, with only 26,184 of 82,172 registered lawyers casting ballots (31.86%). Akangbe has rejected the result, citing technical failures and alleged irregularities, while outgoing president Afam Osigwe defended the election’s integrity, noting a survived cyberattack and a switch to a more secure server. Pinheiro warned that a divided "NBA" cannot effectively champion the rule of law, judicial independence, or good governance, and stressed that unity is essential for the association to speak with one voice on national issues. Badejo‑Okusanya, called to the bar in 2002, became a SAN in 2025 and specialises in commercial dispute resolution and arbitration. She is set to be sworn in as the 33rd "NBA" president at the association’s Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, from 21 to 28 August. Pinheiro pledged his support for the incoming leadership.