Olumide Akpata defeats two SANs to become NBA president

Olumide Akpata, one of the lawyers who vied in the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) election, has emerged president of the association.

He led his closest rival with over 5,000 votes when voting stopped at 11pm on Thursday.

The polls commenced at 11pm on Wednesday.

The NBA election committee declared him winner of the exercise.

“I Tawo Eja Taw, the chairman electoral committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA), as the electoral officer for the 2020 national officers election hereby declare that Akpata Olumide Anthony, having scored the highest number of votes cast and satisfying the provisions of the constitution of the NBA 2015 as amended, as the winner of the election into the office of president of the NBA,” Tawo Taw, chairman of the committee, declared.

The electronic platform which is open for real-time monitoring showed that Akpata polled 9,891 votes ahead of Babatunde Ajibade (SAN) and Dele Adesina (SAN) who scored 4,328 votes and 3,982 votes respectively.

The portal also showed that there were 29,636 registered voters but only 18,256 persons cast their ballots.

Adesina had earlier called for the cancellation of the polls, alleging gross manipulation. He alleged that there was over voting and disenfranchisement of some voters.

Akpata, who is not a member of the inner bar (senior advocate of Nigeria), was a former chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) section on Business Law.