BEVERLY HILLS, September 15, (THEWILL) – Barely 48 hours to the conferment of the prestigious rank of the Senior Advocate of Nigeria on 30 lawyers by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee, LPPC, has removed the only female, Oluwatoyin Ajoke Bashorun, earlier shortlisted from the list of qualified lawyers.
The Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee, LPPC, has reversed its earlier decision to award the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, to a Oluwatoyin Ajoke Bashorun.
The Lagos-based female lawyer was the only female lawyer on the list of 30 legal practitioners nominated by the LPPC earlier this year.
The CJN, Justice Walter Onnoghen,
is expected to administer oath on the qualified senior advocates on Monday when the court will commence its 2017/18 Legal year.
But the LPPC announced the withdrawal of the title to Bashorun in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, and signed by the committee’s Secretary, Hadizatu Uwani Mustapha.
The statement, which disclosed that the decision to withhold the rank from Mrs. Bashorun was taken at a meeting of the LPPC held on Friday, stated that investigation into her case was on going.
Aside being silent on the reason behind the sudden withdrawal of the rank to Bashorun, the statement also did not state why the conferment of the rank on the remaining 29 lawyers, scheduled for September 18 has been shifted.
The statement reads in part: “Recall that the LPPC announced the nomination for appointment of 30 successful applicants for the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria. This was after a thorough investigation of petitions against some of the applicants which is governed by Paragraph 12(2) of the LPPC Guidelines, 2016.
“However, after the announcement, more facts have emerged, touching on the eligibility of the otherwise successful applicants.
“Consequent upon that, the LPPC, in an emergency meeting held today, 15th day of September, 2017, has decided to defer the conferment of the rank of SAN on Oluwatoyin Ajoke Bashorun, pending further investigation of her case by a special constituted committee set up by my lord, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, chairman of LPPC.”
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