The Nigerian Bar Association has finally listened to public opinion and remove Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai as one of the speakers at its annual General conference scheduled to hold next week.
“The National Executive Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association at its ongoing meeting resolves that the invitation to the Kaduna State Governor, H.E. Nasir El-Rufai by the 2020 Annual General Conference Planning committee be withdrawn and decision communicated to the governor,” the committee twitted.
The move to bar El-Rufai from speaking at the meeting started with a petition by a lawyer, Usani Odum. The petition had generated more than 3, 400 signatures on Change.Org as of 6 pm on Thursday.
Also, in a separate letter titled, ‘Request to withdraw the offer of the platform at the 2020 annual general conference of the NBA to Mallam Nasir El-Rufai’ addressed to the Chairman, Technical Committee on Conference Planning, NBA, Prof Koyinsola Ajayi, some lawyers said the governor must not be allowed to speak at the conference.
The letter was signed by Silas Onu and Auta Nyada.
The duo faulted the NBA for inviting El-Rufai, citing the inability of his government to stop the killings in Southern Kaduna.
The NBA virtual conference, which holds from August 24 to August 26, 2020, will also feature Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), in attendance.
Others expected to speak at the event include former Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and a former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili.
The conference will hold under the theme: ‘Am I a Nigerian?- A Debate on National Identity, the Indigeneship-Citizenship Conundrum.”
El-Rufai’s removal from the list of speakers generated thousands of tweets.
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project called on the NBA not to invite the representatives of the Federal Government until the President starts obeying court orders.
A former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu hailed the decision.
Columnist, Ikhide Ikheola, said, “I salute the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association for doing the right thing in rejecting El-Rufai. Once young Nigerians realize how much power they have over their own destiny, Nigeria will be a changed place.”
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Ifedayo Adedipe, said the NBA did well to withdraw the invitation to El-Rufai. Adedipe said, “The NBA is an association of professionals and I think the invitation to El-Rufai was not well thought out before.”
