The Dutse branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Jigawa State has protested the removal of the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai to the Annual General Conference of the association, asking the National Executive Committee to re-invite the Governor.
The Dutse Branch of the association threatens to the boycott conference scheduled for August 24 to August 26, 2020, if el-Rufai is not re-invited.
The branch strongly condemned the decision of the NBA to remove el-Rufai from speaking at the conference, adding that the governor should have been given the right to respond to the allegation leveled against him.
It argued that it was strange that the NBA could exclude el-Rufai and retain Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, who has been accused of several hum rights infractions.
The branch grievance is contained in a statement signed by its Chairman, Garba Abubakar.
It added that the branch would not allow a section of the country to take the organization for a ride as they all had a fair understanding of the law.
The statement read in part, “If complaints are to be judged on their face value and without due process, similar treatment is to (be) given to the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, who has serious allegations of abuse of human rights against him to the extent of demolition (of) residential houses and place of worship without observing due process.
“A section of the country cannot, therefore, take us for a ride as we all have a fair understanding of the law. On the strength of this, therefore, we call on the national body under President Usoro (SAN), to reverse the decision with immediate effect else the Nigerian Bar Association, Dutse branch, will boycott the virtual Annual General Conference taking place in a few days.”
However, investigation revealed that although the NBA has withdrawn its invitation to the Kaduna State Governor, the petition to prevent a governor from attending the conference has risen to over 4,300 on Change.Org even as several activists have commended the decision of the NBA.
