Only one academic makes the prestigious list as successful candidates face fresh ethical restrictions before formal conferment
The Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC) has approved the elevation of 68 legal practitioners to the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), bringing another distinguished class of advocates and an academic into the country’s highest professional cadre of legal practice.
The announcement was made on Thursday following the Committee’s 174th Plenary Session, chaired by the Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chairman of the LPPC, Justice Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun, GCON, who presided over the consideration of applications for the coveted rank.
The newly approved list comprises 67 advocates drawn from legal practice and one successful academic applicant, Professor Nnamdi Onyeka Obiaraeri, reflecting the LPPC’s dual recognition of excellence both at the Bar and in legal scholarship.
The rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria remains the legal profession’s highest mark of distinction, reserved for practitioners who have demonstrated exceptional professional excellence, integrity and sustained contributions either through advocacy before the courts or through outstanding academic scholarship that advances the development of Nigerian law.
Among the advocates elevated this year are Ibrahim Gamdeh Adamu, Jude Chukwuemeka Okafor, Godwill Achibong Umoh, Sunday Samuel Obende, James Eromosele Agbonhese, Alexander Nduka Muoka, Charles Azubuike Obodozie, Faruk Abdullahi, Ifeanyi Godwin Ezeuko, Eric Keme-Egolukumor Omare, Somina Peter Johnbull, Darlington Nnabuike Ozurumba, Jonathan Akintola Makinde, Olajide Salami, Mohammed Abiodun Adelodun and several other senior members of the Bar whose names appear on the official list released by the Committee.
The LPPC, however, stressed that the announcement does not amount to the immediate conferment of the prestigious title.
According to the Committee, every successful applicant must first participate in and successfully complete the mandatory Pre-Swearing-In Induction Programme organised under the directives of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN). Participation in the induction programme is a compulsory prerequisite before the rank can be formally conferred.
The Committee also announced that the formal swearing-in ceremony for the successful applicants has been scheduled for Monday, October 12, 2026.
In a move aimed at preserving the dignity and ethical standards associated with the prestigious rank, the LPPC issued a stern reminder that successful applicants must refrain from publishing congratulatory advertisements, goodwill messages or promotional notices relating to their nomination.
The Committee warned that the restriction is anchored on Paragraph 25(1) of the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Guidelines and Rule 39(3) of the Rules of Professional Conduct, 2023, cautioning that violations could attract sanctions for breaches of statutory and professional ethical standards.
The directive reinforces the long-standing tradition that admission into the Inner Bar is regarded not merely as a professional achievement deserving celebration, but as a solemn recognition of excellence, character and service to the administration of justice.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria rank, introduced in 1975 and modelled after the Queen’s Counsel (now King’s Counsel) system in the United Kingdom, remains the highest professional honour attainable by legal practitioners in Nigeria. Beyond the prestige associated with the title, SANs occupy a unique position within the legal profession, often leading complex constitutional, commercial and public interest litigation while playing influential roles in shaping legal development, mentoring younger lawyers and strengthening the administration of justice.
With Thursday’s approval, the legal profession now turns its attention to the October induction and swearing-in ceremony, when the successful candidates will formally join the distinguished body of Nigeria’s Senior Advocates.
Bellow is the full updated list.
SANs-updated
