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Last night, FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, hosted friends and family members for a dinner to celebrate his daughter, Jazmyne, who bagged the University of Southampton Bachelor of Laws (Upper Second-Class Honours) on Wednesday.

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President-elect of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, has pledged to quit office if credible proof surfaces that the election which brought her into office was manipulated.

Speaking during an interview on TVC News on Thursday, Badejo-Okusanya rubbished allegations by some contestants and members of the legal profession that the 2026 NBA presidential election was rigged in her favour.

She maintained that the electronic voting process underwent extensive public scrutiny and showed no indication of electoral malpractice.

“The process that they say they cannot trust, my opponents are saying that it was rigged in my favour and thankfully, this electoral process has come under the greatest scrutiny that any of our elections have come under since we started universal suffrage and electronic voting,” she said.

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

“From the time that I led, I led the election throughout consistently. There was never a time that I dropped down. There was never a time that any of my opponents passed me. I led consistently and the gap kept widening.

“The votes were trickling in organically. There was no evidence of dumping, which is what they say happens when there’s rigging going on. You didn’t suddenly see 20, 30, 50 votes coming.

“This election was the most watched. We have a system that refreshes every 10 seconds. People were watching and reposting. It was clear that there was no rigging,” she said.

Responding to comparisons with former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who acknowledged that the election which brought him to office was flawed, Badejo-Okusanya said she would not remain in office if the legitimacy of her own election was successfully challenged.

“I had no desire to be a president whose electoral process, the process that brought me to power, was being questioned.

“I told my co-contestants in public that if there was any indication or allegation that the process that brought me to power was flawed, I wouldn’t even discuss it with anyone before I resigned. That still remains my goal,” she said.

Addressing claims that she received the backing of the outgoing NBA President, Afam Osigwe, SAN, Badejo-Okusanya said he never informed her that she was his preferred candidate.

“As a matter of fact, he never told me that.

“If he said it to anyone else, he never said it to me. I don’t know whether the cordiality and civility that he showed to me, whether I don’t have any impression that he wasn’t showing it to anyone else,” she said.

The NBA president-elect also rejected suggestions that her family connections to the Federal Government would compromise the association’s independence.

“How can I be the candidate of the Tinubu administration when the Tinubu administration is not a member of the NBA?” she asked.

She stressed that her allegiance would remain with members of the legal profession.

“The constitution of the NBA is very clear. I read it very closely before I offered myself to serve. I’m well aware of the responsibilities of the president of the NBA, and I have the mandate of members of the NBA to lead them. My obligation is to them,” she said.

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

“For the members, I want them to remember my presidency as one that made the NBA more relevant to them professionally.

“For Nigerians, I want them to remember the NBA as one that took its responsibility to protect and promote the rule of law, to be the watchdog of society and to defend those who are less able to speak for themselves very, very seriously,” she

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A 39-year-old man arrested for allegedly posing as a medical doctor in Cross River State has confessed to treating at least 15 patients over the years after dropping out of medical school.

The suspect, Udeme Emmanuel Ekpeme, was nabbed by operatives of the Uwanse Police Division in Calabar South LGA following a complaint by Mrs Edemawan Samuel, who accused him of impersonation, obtaining money by false pretence and operating an illegal mobile clinic.

Police alleged that Ekpeme fraudulently obtained N500,000 from the woman after promising to secure employment for her children at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH).

In his confession, the suspect said he dropped out of medical school but bought medical equipment with the hope of raising enough money to return and complete his studies.

“If I can raise money to return to medical school, I will. So I bought medical equipment for testing so that whenever patients come, I can use them to diagnose them. Often, when one patient sees that my treatment is effective, the person recommends another,” he said.

He claimed that between 2014 and 2026, he treated at least 15 patients despite not being a licensed medical practitioner.

The suspect also admitted collecting N500,000 from the complainant over the promised UCTH jobs but said he diverted the money to settle a debt of N700,000.

“I was already owing somebody N700,000 and they had been disturbing me to pay. They even seized my Android phone, so I used the money to offset the debt,” he confessed.

The complainant said she became suspicious when the suspect demanded an additional N40,000, claiming it was needed to facilitate banking transactions for the supposed employment.

“When he demanded the N40,000, I had a strong feeling he just wanted to collect the money and chop. I contacted my brother, who said he was a scammer, and we reported the matter to the police,” she said.

She further alleged that the suspect had administered several injections on her and her two children while presenting himself as a qualified doctor.

Confirming the arrest, the Cross River State Police Command said preliminary investigations showed the suspect falsely presented himself as a medical doctor and unlawfully obtained N500,000 from the complainant under the guise of securing employment for her children at UCTH.

Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Eitokpah Sunday Akata, said exhibits linked to the alleged offences had been recovered and that the suspect remained in custody.

Akata also cautioned members of the public against patronising unlicensed medical practitioners.