The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Paul Usoro, has denied the allegation that the governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-rufai, was excluded from the conference on the basis of religion and ethnicity.
The NBA, after inviting El-rufai as a guest speaker for its conference, later bowed to pressure from lawyers who opposed the Kaduna Governor speaking at the event.
In a statement, Paul Usoro, the NBA president said he was shocked that the decision of the bar to rescind its invitation to El-rufai has taken ethnic and religious colouration.
“I have received several messages from our members that have attributed ethnic and religious considerations to the decision. That is not correct and is very far from the truth. Neither the NBA nor NEC belong to any religious or ethnic group. We are lawyers and professionals dedicated to the ideals and the promotion and preservation of the Rule of Law and we belong to one indivisible family of the NBA.
“As I point out in my letter, neither the NBA nor NEC set out to sit in judgment against Mallam el-Rufai and even from that prism, the principle of fair hearing does not apply.”
Mr Usoro added that none of the persons or parties who are opposed to the invitation of Mr El-Rufai to the conference has been offered the platform to advocate or propagate their viewpoints and positions and so the principle of not hearing the other side does not arise.
“We are one united Nigerian Bar Association with no religious or ethnic bias or predisposition and shall ever so remain,” he said.
El-Rufai had earlier described the withdrawal of his invitation to speak at the 2020 Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) conference as an “unfortunate embrace of injustice”.
El-Rufai, in a statement by his spokesperson, Muyiwa Adekeye, vowed he cannot be gagged, insisting that he will continue to offer his opinions on critical issues in the country.
“While the decision about who speaks at its event is clearly the NBA’s, Malam El-Rufai wishes to make clear that he did not seek the platform and is not agitated that he has one less speaking engagement.
“However, the circumstances of the last few days warrant some comments. That a professional organisation has elected to endorse a one-sided narrative on a profound national issue is something that its members may wish to reflect upon.
“For an association, whose bread and butter is about justice, to make a ruling based on the stridency of people who lampoon judicial processes against certain individuals without hearing the other side is odd.
“It bears noting that in its response to pressure, the NBA leadership has signalled an unfortunate embrace of injustice, unfairness, absence of fair hearing and total disregard for the rule of law.”
