ALDRAP Drags LPPC to Court Over Suspension of Mike Ozekhome, Seeks Restoration of SAN Rank
The Incorporated Trustees of the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP) has filed a suit before the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), Abuja Judicial Division, challenging the decision of the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC) to suspend Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN from the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
In the originating summons marked NICN/ABJ/244/2026, filed on June 29, 2026, ALDRAP seeks an order of certiorari to quash the LPPC’s suspension decision, alongside declaratory reliefs and an order of mandamus compelling the restoration of Ozekhome’s SAN rank.
The defendants listed in the action are: the Chief Justice of Nigeria, in his capacity as Chairman of the LPPC; the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court and Secretary of the LPPC, Kabir Eniola Akanbi; the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC) itself; Professor Mike Ozekhome, SAN; and the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
Although Ozekhome is the subject of the reliefs sought, he is curiously listed as the fourth defendant in the proceedings.
ALDRAP premised its action on Section 17 of the NIC Act 2006, Orders 1–20 of the NIC Rules 2017, and Sections 254C(1)(a), (c), (k), (l), (m), and (n) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). It also cited Sections 36(1), 36(9), and 174 of the Constitution, Rule 33 of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners 2023, the Labour Act, and the inherent jurisdiction of the court.
The suit arose from the LPPC’s decision at its 173rd General Meeting on June 23, 2026, where Ozekhome was suspended pending the conclusion of disciplinary proceedings before the Committee’s Disciplinary and Ethics Sub-Committee. The LPPC stated that the suspension was necessary to protect the integrity, dignity, and prestige of the SAN rank, directing Ozekhome to refrain from holding himself out as a Senior Advocate until the proceedings were concluded.
The NIC has not yet ruled on the validity of the LPPC’s action. The defendants are required to enter an appearance within 14 days of service, and any party opposing the suit must file a memorandum of appearance and counter-affidavit. The court will then determine issues of jurisdiction, the competence of ALDRAP to institute the action, and the substantive legality of the suspension.
ALDRAP’s reliefs, if granted, would nullify the LPPC’s decision through certiorari and compel the restoration of Ozekhome’s SAN rank through mandamus. The case is expected to test the boundaries of the NIC’s jurisdiction over professional disciplinary matters and the constitutional safeguards available to legal practitioners under Nigerian law.
