As the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) finally dropped Governor Nasiru Ahmad El- Rufa’i of Kaduna state from the list of speakers for its forthcoming conference, the governor has reacted, describing the action as unfair.
El-Rufa’i however,vowed that his “investments in building a constituency for peace, anchored on the rule of law, respect for the rights of everyone would continue,” he continued: “The leadership of the Nigeria Bar Association(NBA) has embraced injustice, unfairness, lack of fair hearing and total disregard for the rule of law in its decision on who should speak at its Annual General Conference,” he said.
In a statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Mr Muyiwa Adekeye on Thursday night, El Rufai lamented that the NBA based its decision on a one-sided narrative.
He said, “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 are 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”.
The statement said that although the decision about who speaks at an NBA event was that of the association’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.”
The governor revealed that he accepted the invitation to participate in a panel discussion on national identity based on the request of a lawyer friend, adding that he ‘’accepted as part of his commitment to having a national conversation and the evolution of a national consensus.”
According to the statement, these worthy conversations must continue irrespective of platform and El-Rufai ‘’ will continue to make his voice heard on the things our country needs to do for its progress.”
VANGUARD
