The Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP) has formally demanded that the National Assembly refund ₦50 million following the cancellation of a booked event space inside the Senate Building.
In a letter dated 28 August 2026 addressed to the Clerk to the National Assembly (with attention to Mr. Kamoru Ogunlana, Esq.), ALDRAP said its members were blocked from using the hall on 15 December 2025 despite an earlier arrangement. The association, whose letter was signed by its secretary, Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja, SCN, stated that payment had been made and the venue prepared before access was denied.
ALDRAP described the cancellation as unlawful. It maintained that no court order existed at the time restraining either the association or the group of lawyers referred to as the Blue Silks rank of Senior Counsel of Nigeria from holding the programme. The letter also criticised the reported role of police officers and National Assembly officials in denying entry, calling the actions a form of self-help and citing the Supreme Court decision in Governor of Lagos State v. Ojukwu (1986).
The association pointed to a 27 January 2026 judgment by Justice Mohammed Umar Garba of the Federal High Court in Abuja. According to ALDRAP, that ruling addressed the respective powers of the Nigerian Bar Association and the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee concerning the Blue Silks designation and supported its position that those bodies could not interfere with the planned activities.
ALDRAP has given the National Assembly seven days to make the refund. If the money is not paid, the association said it would instruct its lawyers to begin legal proceedings against the National Assembly and the Clerk. It indicated that such steps could also involve the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and other institutions. Bank details for a UBA current account were provided in the letter, and ALDRAP expressed the hope that the dispute could still be settled without litigation.
Copies of the letter were sent to the President of Nigeria, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the presidents of the Nigerian Bar Association and the Nigerian Law Society, and the secretaries of the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria and the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee.
The claims in the letter remain ALDRAP’s position and have not been tested or confirmed in court. No response from the Clerk or National Assembly authorities was included in the available material.
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