Festus Keyamo, who has been denied the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) for several years was among the 30 lawyers elevated to the prestigious rank of Senior Advocates of Nigeria by the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee, LLPC this afternoon, July 6th, in Abuja.
In the list made available to National Daily and signed by the newly appointed Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court, Mrs. Hadiztu Mustapha, the list also included the younger brother of acting President Yemi Osinbajo, Akinlolu Osinbajo- a former Attorney General of Ogun State.
According to Mrs. Mustapha who doubles as Secretary of the LLPC, the 30 new SANs were selected from a total of 156 applicants. She added that though 72 of the applicants were initially shortlisted, the LLPC, pursuant to its powers under section 5 of Legal Practitioners’ Act, Laws of the Federation 2004 as amended, pruned down the list to 30.
Others who made the list include: Attorney General of Kwara State, Kamaldeen Ajibade, former national legal adviser of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP and gubernatorial candidate of Alliance for Democracy, AD in Ondo State, Chief Olusola Oke.
Others are Chibuike Nwokeukwu, Johnnie Egwuonwu, Bert Chukwuneta Igwilo, Sylvester Elema, Ikenna Egbuna, Wilcox Abereton, Michael Alliyu, Francis Egele, Prof. Enefiok Essien. Prof. Sadiq Shikyl, Prof. Adebambo Adewopo, Prof. Adedeji Adekunle, Nasser Dangiri, Oluwatoyin Bashorun, Emeka Okpoko, Sani Garun-Gabbas, Abdul Ibrahim, John Odubela, Gboyega Oyewole, Joshua Musa, Ibrahim Mohammed, Ekemejero Ohwovoriole, Oyetola Oshobi, Sulaiman Usman, Kehinde Ogunwumiju and Chiesonu Okpoko.
Whereas four of the newly appointed SANs emerged from the academia, only one woman made the cut. Meantime, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Walter Onnoghen, will swear in the new SANs on September 18.