Senator Neda Imasuen, a Nigerian-trained lawyer, has yet to respond to reports of his disbarment from practicing law in the United States, despite the issue gaining attention in Nigerian media for over a week.
Documents reveal that Imasuen was disbarred in 2010 following a petition filed by an American citizen, Daphne Slyfield, who alleged that he failed to represent her in a court case after being hired and paid for his services.
According to official records, Slyfield submitted a petition to the Supreme Court of New York, prompting the Grievance Committee for the Second, Eleventh, and Thirteenth Judicial Districts to review the complaint.
The petition accused Imasuen of engaging in “professional misconduct,” leading to the appointment of George Friedman as a special referee to investigate the claims.
In July 2009, Imasuen was officially served with the petition and instructed to respond within 20 days.
The committee cautioned that failure to reply would result in the charges being deemed established.
However, records indicate that he did not respond within the given timeframe and did not seek an extension.
Reports suggest that he returned to Nigeria in 2010, the same year his disbarment took effect.
Since then, he has worked as a consultant for the European Union’s State Reforming Institutional Programme and served as the Jigawa State coordinator for the initiative.
In 2023, he won a seat in the Nigerian Senate, representing Edo South District under the Labour Party.
New York’s legal provisions state that attorneys disbarred due to felony convictions or professional misconduct may apply for reinstatement, but only after a minimum of seven years.
It remains unclear whether Imasuen has sought reinstatement; if he has not, his disbarment remains in effect.
Since reports of his disbarment emerged, the issue has dominated discussions in Nigeria, drawing extensive media coverage.
Multiple attempts by journalists to obtain his reaction have been unsuccessful.
Premium Times contacted Imasuen on Sunday through his known mobile number and followed up with text messages, but he did not respond.
On Wednesday, additional calls were placed to an alternative number linked to him, yet they went unanswered.
A text message sent that day was successfully delivered, but he remained silent.
Further inquiries were sent to his official email on Thursday, but as of the time of this report, there had been no response.
Imasuen, who chairs the Senate ethics committee, recently played a central role in the suspension of Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The suspension followed her accusation of sexual harassment against Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
After reviewing a report from the ethics committee led by Imasuen, the Senate, under Akpabio’s leadership, suspended Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months on February 20, citing misconduct and non-compliance with the chamber’s sitting arrangement.
Akpabio had referred the senator’s sexual harassment petition to the ethics committee, but Imasuen ruled that the petition was “dead on arrival” and would not be entertained by the Senate.
