Senate Breaks Silence On Imasuen’s Alleged Disbarment From Practising Law In The U.S

Posted by Thandiubani on Mon 14th Apr, 2025 - tori.ng

Imasuen was reportedly disbarred from practising law in the U.S. in 2010 after a petition was filed by an American client, Daphne Slyfield.

The Senate has reacted to reports of the disbarment of a senator representing Edo South District, Neda Imasuen, from practising law in the United States.

Recall that Imasuen, who is a Nigeria-trained lawyer and serves as the chairperson of the Senate Ethics Committee, has faced public scrutiny following reports about his disbarment in the U.S. in 2010.

Imasuen was reportedly disbarred from practising law in the U.S. in 2010 after a petition was filed by an American client, Daphne Slyfield, who accused him of failing to represent her in a court case despite being hired and paid for the job.

Slyfield had submitted the complaint to the Supreme Court of New York, and the Grievance Committee for the Second, Eleventh, and Thirteenth Judicial Districts of the Court handled the case.

The grievance alleged “professional misconduct” against Imasuen. A special referee, George Friedman, was assigned to investigate and report on the matter.

The document stated that Imasuen was served with the petition in July 2009 and was given 20 days to respond. However, he failed to file his response within the required timeframe or request an extension, leading the committee to consider the charges as established.

Following his disbarment in 2010, Imasuen returned to Nigeria, where he later worked as a consultant for the European Union’s State Reforming Institutional Programme.

He served as the Jigawa State coordinator. In 2023, Imasuen emerged as a senator representing Edo South District in Nigeria’s upper legislative chamber. He is a member of the Labour Party (LP), which is one of the opposition political parties in Nigeria.

The Senate’s spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu, in an interview with Premium Times, addressed the situation on Saturday, stating that the upper chamber had not discussed Imasuen’s disbarment because the issue had not yet been officially presented before it.

He said, “So, we cannot be debating on something that’s not before us.

“Again, there has not been any local, national or international report against the senator before us,” Mr Adaramodu, also a senator, said.

“You can ask for my personal opinion on that. But the opinion of the Senate is that something that’s not before us, we cannot just go to plenary and start debating or talking about it.”