*As NBA Uyo Branch Congratulatory Letter Deepens Confusion
A list of 78 names purportedly representing the first-round shortlisted applicants by the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee for the conferment of the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria has been trending across multiple lawyers’ platforms, generating intense discussion, speculation, and confusion within the legal community, as NewsNGR’s efforts to verify the list’s authenticity have been met with denials and silence from all relevant authorities, with the Supreme Court stating it is not aware of any such list, and all other bodies reached out to declining to comment.
Adding to the confusion, NewsNGR sighted a congratulatory letter dated May 6, 2026, from the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association Uyo Branch, Ime Umofiah Esq., addressed to one of the names on the circulating list, —– Esq., congratulating him on his “shortlisting for the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria.” The letter was shared on a lawyers’ platform but was subsequently deleted by the person who posted it, raising questions about how a branch chairman obtained information about a shortlist that the Supreme Court says it is not aware of, and why the evidence of that knowledge was quickly removed from public view.
As of the time of filing this report, NewsNGR has been unable to confirm whether the circulating list is authentic or fabricated, as all authorities contacted have either denied knowledge of the list or declined to comment on it.
The list, which has been shared and discussed across multiple lawyers’ WhatsApp groups, social media platforms, and legal community forums, contains 78 names of legal practitioners who have allegedly been shortlisted by the LPPC for the first round of screening for the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
The names on the list include Ibrahim Gamdeh Adamu, Kenneth Osita Paulsy Oddika, Godwill Achibong Umoh, Uche Felix Ewele, Sunday Samuel Obende, Philemeon Ajidu Daffi, Alexander Nduka Muoka, Onome Okodiya, Ikhide Ehigheliua, Mas’ud Mobolaji Alabelewe, Waziri Mamman Yusha’u, Ogunmuyiwa Olayinka Balogun, Anthony Auditz Iroagalachi, Humprey Ehi Uwaifo, Olaide Bamidele Akinseye-George, Gbemiga Adaramola, Charles Azubuike Obodozie, Hakeem Obafemi Agba, Ohene Christopher Owoicho, Joshua Demilade Olaniyan, Christian Nnadozie Nwokorie, Olujumoke Enitan Aliu, Aisha Ado Abdullahi, Adebayo Folorunsho Ologe, Soibi Ideriah Ovia, Somina Peter John Bull, Philip Emmanuel Kortse, Adetunji Taiwo Adedyin Adeniyi, Agba Emunfeze, Mitchel Akinfunsola Aribisala, Obinna Gerald Onya, Mohammed Abiodun Adelodun, and Sabiu Gumba Adamu, among 45 others totalling 78 names.
The list includes practitioners from across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones, covering a range of practice areas and jurisdictions.
When NewsNGR reached out to the Supreme Court to verify the authenticity of the list, the response was that they are not aware of any such list.
The denial from the Supreme Court, which houses the LPPC and oversees the process of conferring the rank of Senior Advocate, creates a significant credibility question. If the nation’s apex court is not aware of the list, then either the list is fabricated, or it was leaked from within the LPPC process without the knowledge or authorisation of the Supreme Court’s official communication channels.
All other authorities reached out to by NewsNGR declined to comment on the circulating list, neither confirming its authenticity nor denying the names it contains.
The most intriguing element in the saga is the congratulatory letter from the NBA Uyo Branch chairman that was briefly shared on a lawyers’ platform before being deleted.
The letter, dated May 6, 2026, and signed by Chairman Ime Umofiah Esq., was addressed to “Godwill Umoh, Esq., Lex Associates, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State” and reads:
“On behalf of the NBA, Uyo Branch, I warmly congratulate you, our Past Chairman, Godwill Umoh, Esq., on your shortlisting for the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria.”
The chairman described the shortlisting as reflecting “your industry, integrity and sustained excellence at the Bar” and stated: “I take immense pride in such a significant progression in your distinguished career which also effectively elevates the standing of our Branch and State within the legal sphere.”
“As you undergo the requisite screening, I am confident that your record of distinction will secure your place on the final list,” the letter stated.
The letter is significant for several reasons.
First, Godwill Achibong Umoh appears at number 3 on the circulating list, meaning the NBA Uyo Branch chairman’s congratulatory message directly corresponds to a name on the unverified list.
Second, the letter is dated May 6, 2026, suggesting that the branch chairman had information about the shortlisting at least one day before the list began circulating widely on lawyers’ platforms.
Third, the letter was shared on a lawyers’ platform and subsequently deleted by the person who posted it, a pattern that suggests either the poster realised the information was premature or sensitive, or was advised to remove it because it confirmed details about a list that has not been officially released.
The deletion, rather than dispelling suspicion, has deepened the confusion. If the congratulatory letter was based on genuine information, it suggests someone within the LPPC process communicated the shortlist to at least some of the applicants or their associates before any official announcement. If the letter was based on the same unverified list circulating on social media, it means an NBA branch chairman relied on an unconfirmed list to issue an official congratulatory message on branch letterhead, a serious lapse in institutional judgment.
The circulation of the list follows a long-standing pattern in which SAN shortlists are leaked to the public before official announcements, despite repeated warnings from the Supreme Court against the unauthorised publication of such lists.
The Supreme Court and the LPPC have consistently warned media organisations, legal media platforms, and members of the legal community against publishing shortlists before they are officially released, noting that premature publication creates confusion, raises false expectations among applicants who may be on preliminary lists but not on final lists, and undermines the integrity of a process that is supposed to be conducted with confidentiality until completed.
Despite these warnings, shortlists continue to appear on lawyers’ platforms with remarkable speed and consistency, raising the question that has plagued the SAN conferment process for years: who is leaking the list?
The leak could originate from multiple sources: members of the LPPC itself, administrative staff with access to the committee’s records, applicants who are informally notified of their shortlisting before official communication, or intermediaries who obtain the information from any of these sources.
The fact that a branch chairman was able to write a congratulatory letter dated May 6, referencing a shortlisting that the Supreme Court says it is not aware of, suggests that the information pipeline runs deep enough to reach branch-level NBA officials before the apex court’s own communication channels are activated.
NewsNGR has made extensive efforts to verify whether the circulating list is authentic.
The Supreme Court stated it is not aware of the list. All other authorities contacted declined to comment. No official statement has been issued by the LPPC confirming or denying the release of a first-round shortlist.
In the absence of official confirmation, NewsNGR cannot at this time confirm whether the 78-name list is the genuine LPPC first-round shortlist or a fabricated document circulated to create the impression of insider knowledge.
The legal community is advised to treat the circulating list with caution and to await official communication from the LPPC and the Supreme Court before drawing conclusions about its authenticity.
The 78 Names
For the record, the 78 names appearing on the circulating list, in the order in which they appear, are:
The saga leaves several questions unanswered.
Is the list authentic? The Supreme Court says it is not aware of it. No authority has confirmed it. But a branch chairman wrote a congratulatory letter based on information consistent with it.
Who leaked the list? The source of the leak, if the list is genuine, remains unknown. The Supreme Court’s repeated warnings against unauthorised publication have not prevented the leak.
Why was the congratulatory letter deleted? The removal of the Uyo Branch letter from the lawyers’ platform where it was shared suggests someone recognised that the letter confirmed information that was not supposed to be public.
