The Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee, LPPC, has dismissed the petition by the Former Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki to stop the elevation of Kwara State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Sulyman Ibrahim, to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN.
The LPPC on Thursday announced the approval of 68 legal practitioners for the conferment of the rank of SAN with Ibrahim making the list after considering a petition submitted against the nomination.
Saraki, had written to the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the LPPC, urging the committee not to confer the rank on Ibrahim.
In the petition, Saraki alleged abuse of prosecutorial powers, malicious prosecution, and conduct he said was inconsistent with the ethical standards required for elevation to the Inner Bar.
He cited the Kwara State Government’s 20-count criminal charge against him and former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, which arose from the Offa robbery investigation. Saraki described the prosecution as politically motivated and an alleged abuse of constitutional powers by the Attorney-General.
Following its review, the LPPC dismissed the objections and approved Ibrahim’s elevation to Senior Advocate of Nigeria. The decision clears him to join the Inner Bar, the most senior rank in the Nigerian legal profession.
The LPPC is the statutory body responsible for conferring the rank of SAN. It evaluates nominees based on criteria including professional competence, integrity, contributions to legal development, and ethical standing.
The elevation has been described by members of Kwara State’s legal community as a significant recognition for the state.
Observers also noted similarities with a 2016 report that Saraki, then Senate President, opposed the nomination of Mr. Ezekiel Yisa Benjamin, an indigene of Kwara North, as a non-executive commissioner of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC.
As of the time of this report, there has been no further public statement from Saraki on the LPPC’s decision.
The conferment ceremony for new SANs is traditionally conducted by the Chief Justice of Nigeria at the opening of the legal year.
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