Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe, SAN, has filed a formal petition challenging the outcome of the 2026 Nigerian Bar Association presidential election, escalating concerns he had raised during and after the electronic poll.
Akangbe alleges that more than 25,000 members who were prepared to support his candidacy could not vote because they did not receive the one-time passwords required to access the voting platform. The allegation has not been independently established and will now require consideration through the association’s election-dispute process.
In the petition, the senior advocate reportedly requests the release of complete server logs and a comprehensive audit of the election’s backend infrastructure. He also raises concerns about possible pre-programming of the system, an allegation that remains disputed and should be tested against technical evidence.
The NBA’s declared result gave Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, 12,317 votes, representing 47.18 per cent of ballots cast. Akangbe received 7,934 votes, or 30.39 per cent, while Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN, polled 5,855 votes, representing 22.43 per cent.
Approximately 26,184 members participated out of an eligible voting population of more than 82,000. The poll, held electronically on July 18, had been delayed following a reported cyberattack and was accompanied by complaints from some voters about access and verification difficulties.
Akangbe had previously called for the suspension of the process and later declined to congratulate the declared winner, citing concerns about the integrity of the voting system. The filing of a formal petition moves those objections from public statements into an institutional review process where the parties can present evidence and respond to the allegations.
The dispute is expected to intensify calls for an independent technical examination of the voting platform. Any credible review would need to preserve the election data, examine authentication and delivery records, establish an auditable chain of custody, and allow all affected parties a fair opportunity to address the findings.
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