Despite threat by the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, toboycott the planned swearing-in of 30 newlyappointed Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SANs, should the event fails to hold on the original slated date, September 19, the ChiefJustice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Aloysius Katsina- Alu, yesterday,said nothing would deter him from administering oath on the new silks tomorrow.
The CJN who made this position known through a statement by the Deputy Director of Information at the Supreme Court, Mr Festus Akanbi, yesterday, said “the newly appointed Senior Advocates of Nigeria will be sworn in as earlier announced, on Friday, August 26, 2011,at 10:am, at a special Court Session of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
“All the information earlier disseminated to our esteemed invited guests and the general public remain valid.”
It would be recalled thatthe 30 legal practitioners were on July 17 conferred with the rank of SAN by the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee, LPPC. Their confirmationwas sequel to an out ofcourt settlement reached between the Nigerian Bar Association,NBA, and the LPPC.
The Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court who also serves as the Secretary of the LPPC, Mr Sunday Olorundahunsi, had on the day their names were unveiled, announced that they would be sworn-in on September 19.
However, the CJN who is billed to retire on Sunday, August 28, decided to abridge the date totomorrow, a move that has been greatly inveighed by the NBA which contended that the date would clash with its ongoing general conference in Port Harcourt.
The legal body further queried the urgency on the part of the CJN, even as it noted that it would not be in the interest of the celebrants to host the event within the MuslimRamadan period.
NBA insisted that, “it is a tradition to begin the legal year of the Supreme Court of Nigeria with the swearing-in of new Senior Advocates of Nigeria,” adding that Friday would not mark the beginning of a new legal year.
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