Following the circulation of the proposed Bill to amend the Legal Practitioners Act, wherein the addition of the Senate President and House of Representatives Speaker have been included as members of the Body of Benchers in Section 1(3)(i) & (m) of the Bill, a source has disclosed to TheNigeriaLawyer(TNL) that the Body is yet to make a decision thereon.

The source who spoke to TheNigeriaLawyer on a condition of anonymity has disclosed the state of the matter with the Body of Benchers, stating that efforts are in place to ensure that what is most acceptable is done.

Recall that the proposed Bill for an Act to amend the Legal Practitioners Act, which was circulated on Monday amongst lawyers has generated serious controversies.

Besides, some have held opinions wherein they argued that the inclusion of politicians in the Bill is geared towards buying them to pass the Bill.

Speaking, to a member of the Body of Benchers, she said that the Bill is just a proposal and that if Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives are to be included as members, they must be Lawyers.

She also said that the Body of Benchers, and the Nigerian Bar Association(NBA), are working together on the Bill, and they will have to choose what they want as an Association and what they don’t want.

“The Nigerian Bar Association will have to review and decide which person to be included or not. AB Mahomoud SAN, the then president of the NBA, was involved, when the proposed bill was made.

“So the input of the NBA is needed. As I said earlier this is just a proposal and Body of Benchers will look at it again in their next meeting and approve if they are to be members, and they must be lawyers,” she said.

Meanwhile, it is expedient to note that in the Bill pursuant to Section 1(3)(i)(m) & (n) thereof, the condition precedent before incorporating the Senate President, House of Representatives Speaker and Chairmen of the National Assembly Committees on Judiciary as members of the Body of Benchers, is for them to be Lawyers.

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