Members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) have demanded that the association withdraw its invitation to Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state, to speak at it’s annual general conference.
In a petition to the chairman of the technical committee on the NBA conference planning, Koyinsola Ajayi, the lawyers under the aegis of Open Bar Initiative described the invitation as a “reward for misrule.”
Silas Onu, convener of the group, said the governor signified the very antithesis of what the association professes to defend.
The group also said that in addition to governing a state that has been described as “the most dangerous state in Nigeria in 2020, el-Rufai has on several occasions abused the rights of Nigerians”.
“A major focus of the intolerance of Mallam el-Rufai has been lawyers and the legal profession,” recalling when, in 2016, the governor allegedly threatened to abduct Gloria Ballason, a lawyer, “because she had criticised him in a news article.”
The lawyers further stated that while speaking at the conference may be argued as an opportunity for el-Rufai to be examined by the participants, lawyers who have criticised him “have suffered untold persecution” from the governor.
“As Governor, Mallam el-Rufai has shown no regard for the rule of law, for human rights or for human beings.
“He has been reckless in his utterances, hubristic in his outlook and irresponsible with power. Offering him the platform of the NBA Annual General Conference 2020 is reward for misrule,” the petition read
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