NBA President Elect Promises Resignation If Rigging Proof Emerges

According to the senior advocate, the voting pattern remained consistent throughout the exercise, with no irregularities such as sudden vote surges that could suggest manipulation.

She explained that she led from the start of the election and maintained that lead consistently, with no point at which any opponent overtook her, and that the gap between her and her rivals only widened over time.

She said the votes came in organically, with no evidence of the sudden "dumping" of large numbers of votes typically associated with rigging, adding that the system refreshed every 10 seconds and was closely watched and shared by the public, making it clear that no rigging had taken place.

Responding to comparisons with former President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, who once acknowledged that the election that brought him to power was flawed, Badejo-Okusanya said she had no desire to preside over an association whose legitimacy was in question.

Stressing that she had told her co-contestants publicly that if there were any credible indication that the process which brought her to power was flawed, she would resign without further discussion, adding that this remains her position.

Addressing claims that she enjoyed the backing of the outgoing NBA President, Afam Osigwe, SAN, she said he never told her directly that she was his preferred candidate, adding that if he expressed such a preference to anyone else, she was not aware of it, and that she could not say for certain whether the cordiality he showed her was unique to her or extended to others as well.

The NBA president-elect also dismissed suggestions that her family's ties to the Federal Government could compromise the association's independence, questioning how she could be seen as a candidate of the Tinubu administration when the administration itself is not a member of the NBA.

She stressed that her loyalty lies solely with members of the legal profession, noting that she is familiar with the NBA's constitution and the responsibilities of its presidency, and that her mandate and obligations are to the members who elected her.

Badejo-Okusanya said her administration would prioritise strengthening the NBA's professional relevance to lawyers while reinforcing its role in promoting justice and defending the rule of law.

She expressed hope that members would remember her presidency as one that made the association more useful to them professionally, while Nigerians at large would remember it as one that took seriously its duty to protect the rule of law, act as society's watchdog, and defend those less able to speak for themselves.