The Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC), the statutory body responsible for the conferment of the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), has released the list of shortlisted candidates for the 2026 SAN exercise, marking a key milestone in the annual selection process.
In a press release issued from the Supreme Court of Nigeria in Abuja, the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee confirmed that the shortlisted applicants successfully passed multiple stages of the rigorous selection process, including the Advocate 1 and 2 filtration stages, academic pre-qualification, second academic filtration exercise, independent appeals hearing, and law office inspection exercise.
The announcement signals the commencement of the final phase of the exercise—interviews—before the conferment of the prestigious rank.
According to the committee, the shortlisted candidates are grouped into two categories in line with LPPC guidelines: Advocate Applicants and Academic Applicants.
A total of 77 legal practitioners were shortlisted under the advocate category, comprising senior members of the bar drawn from diverse areas of legal practice across Nigeria.
The list includes practitioners such as IBRAHIM GAMDEH ADAMU, JUDE CHUKWUEMEKA OKAFOR, GODWILL ACHIBONG UMOH, and several others who have demonstrated compliance with the LPPC’s stringent assessment criteria.
In the academic category, 12 professors were shortlisted, reflecting the LPPC’s recognition of contributions from the legal academia. The list includes scholars such as Prof. John Alewo Musa Agbonika, Prof. Najeem Adeyemi Ijaiya, and Prof. Nnamdi Onyeka Obiaraeri, among others.
The LPPC also invited members of the public to submit comments or objections regarding the integrity, reputation, or competence of any shortlisted candidate. Such submissions must be supported by a verifying affidavit sworn before a court of competent jurisdiction or a notary public and submitted in twenty copies to the Secretary of the LPPC or via the designated official email.
The committee stressed that inclusion in the shortlist does not guarantee final appointment as SAN, noting that the process remains strictly merit-based and subject to final interview assessments.
The LPPC operates under the supervision of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and is responsible for maintaining the standards and integrity of the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, widely regarded as the highest professional honour for legal practitioners in the country.
The final list of successful candidates is expected to be released after completion of the concluding interview stage.
