By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
Former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Professor Chidi Odinkalu, has mocked the Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-rufai for receiving ‘royal condolences’ following his dis-invitation from the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Conference.
The NBA withdrew the invitation to El-rufai as one of its key conference speakers scheduled to hold between 26th and 29th of August after at least 5,000 lawyers signed a petition against him.
Barely a week after the NBA took the decision not to offer its platform to El-rufai, two prominent royal fathers in the North have visited the Kaduna Governor, perhaps as a show of solidarity. But Odinkalu said its a ‘royal condolence.’
The first on the roll call was the deposed Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, who made his maiden visit to the North on August 23, five months after he was dethroned and banished from Kano by the Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje.
Sanusi argued that rather than canceling the invitation to El-rufai, NBA could have given him the platform to respond to the allegations that prompted his dis-invitation.
The allegations were that he had no respect for the rule of law, and was non-chalant about the killings in the Southern Kaduna, a majorly Christian part of the state.
The following day, August 24, Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, was the next to visit the Kaduna Governor at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, the seat of the Kaduna government.
For Odinkalu, the visits by the royal fathers were nothing short of ‘royal condolences’ to El-rufai who has been mourning the NBA dis-invitation.
“All Royal roads lead to Kashim Ibrahim House in Kaduna where people who could not bring themselves to mourn gratuitous massacres of thousands are dispensing condolences over the death of an inconsequential conference invite. #ElRufai2020Cancelled,”
He added: “It’s impressive to see royal condolence visits procured on the occasion of #ElRufai2020Cancelled. It’s even more impressive that these condolence visits weren’t considered for #ZariaMassacre or #BirninGwari massacres or for any of the multiplicity of #SouthernKadunaMassacre,” he said.