Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, is the new Attorney-General and Minister of Justice of the federation that all Nigerians look up to, to restore the glory and integrity of that all important Federal Ministry of Justice.

He is a respected legal luminary and an experienced and versatile advocate of repute, especially in election petition matters. He is until his appointment, the lead counsel of the All Progressives Congress at the Presidential Election Petitions Court sitting in Abuja.

Fagbemi, 64, hails from Ijagbo in Oyun Local Government Area, North Central of Kwara State. He graduated with a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Jos, Plateau State in 1984 and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1985.

He obtained his Masters Degree in Law (LLM) in 1987 from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, and became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria at age 37 while running his private firm.

One instructive case that he handled was the election matter of former Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi in 2007.

He led Amaechi’s legal team that year and, he was able to convince the Supreme Court that his client was the valid winner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial primary, and as such should be declared the winner of that election that he didn’t participate in. His argument was upheld by the apex court thereby making the first time such would happen in the country.

Fagbemi, a respected silk and advocate par excellence, apart from election petition matters, has also handled several high profile cases.

On Monday, August 21, 2023, Lateef Fagbemi will become Nigeria’s 24th AGF and Minister of Justice. As the Chief Law Office of the country, he has an Herculean task thrown on his laps. He must ensure that agencies and parastatals under his ministry including but not limited to the EFCC and ICPC, respect citizens’ rights, show respect for the rule of law and also work for the protection of the nation’s judicial process.

Expectedly, there’s no doubt that he is capable of cleaning the mess created by his predecessor and that of meeting the constitutional/legal expectations of Nigerians. More importantly, he must give sound, truthful and courageous legal advice to President Bola Tinubu, even if heavens will fall in the best interest of country. Best of luck to him but he should know that the entire country is watching.