El-Rufai’s lawyer, Abdulhakeem U. Mustapha (SAN), yesterday said NBA’s action was politically motivated, in an increasing controversy surrounding the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA’s) withdrawal of the invitation to Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State to speak at its forthcoming annual conference.
The NBA’s 60th annual general conference is slated virtually from August 26 to 29 with the theme: ‘Step forward.’
In a letter addressed to the NBA president, Paul Usoro, Mustapha (SAN) described the NBA’s decision on El-Rufai as scandalous, saying: “It would certainly not be out of place to insinuate political motives behind this unfortunate decision as the NBA as a professional body which is supposed to be in the fore front of the protection and promotion of the rule of law in Nigeria should know better than this.”
Mustapha said Nigeria would be lost if the NBA, which is expected to serve as the conscience of the nation, is allowed to descends into the realm of partisanship, parochialism, unfounded hearsay and one sided justice.
He described as strange that El-Rufai’s invitation was withdrawn based on one-sided allegations contained in a petition “by the so-called Open Law Initiative which was believed and acted upon by the Annual General Conference Planning Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association without any reference to Governor El-Rufai.”
“The decision taken by the NBA to withdraw the invitation to Governor El-Rufai on the basis of the wild and unsubstantiated allegations contained in the Open Bar Initiative Petition without any reference to the Governor is not only a naked affront on the rule of law but also a contradiction of the NBA’s motto which held itself out as the custodian, defender and guardian Angel of the rule of law in Nigeria,” he stated.
The letter stated that the implications of the NBA’s decision demonstrate a total disregard for the basic constitutional provision of fair hearing which de said is the foundation and bedrock of the rule of law designed for the safeguard of fundamental right and freedom in any civilised and democratic society.
“It therefore beats all imagination that an elitist professional body like the NBA could take a decision that negates the very essence of this fundamental constitutional provision, no matter how tempting or appealing the reason may be,” he stated.
The governor’s lawyer described as unfortunate, the NBA’s constitution of itself into a court and adjudging El-Rufai guilty of all the allegations contained in the said petition without hearing a word from him as well as proceeding to apply the sanction requested by the petitioners which is a withdrawal of the invitation.
