LESS than eight days to the opening of the 60th Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) annual conference, some Nigerian lawyers have threatened to boycott the event if Nasir El-Rufai, Governor of Kaduna State is not removed as one of the speakers.

The NBA annual conference is scheduled to hold between August 26 and 29 with the theme ‘Step Forward’.

Organisers of the conference had lined up 10 speakers including the Governor of Kaduna State to talk at the event, aggrieved lawyers were questioning his inclusion based on the current killings in Southern Kaduna under his watch.

Other speakers expected at the conference are Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Nyesom Wike, Governor of Rivers State Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of House of Representatives, Olusegun Obasanjo, former President and Tanko Muhammad, Chief Justice of Nigeria,

Ike Ekweremadu, former Deputy Senate President, Abubakar Malami, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Brian Speers, President of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association, Linda Dobbs, Director of Training at the Judicial Institute for Africa are also expected to speak at the conference.

According to those protesting against his appearance at the conference, it is either he is dropped or they would withdraw their participation.

They have already taken to Twitter to demand his exclusion from the panel, describing him as ill-fit to address lawyers or be a part of such gathering.

Itong Washington, a member of the NBA in a tweet announced that he won’t be participating in the conference after seeing El-Rufia listed as a speaker.

When asked, Washington told The ICIR that with the ongoing genocide in Southern Kaduna, the NBA which is established to promote the rule of law is expected to be a voice for the protection of citizens and should be able to hold leaders to account.

“Giving him (El-Rufai) a speaking role in the forthcoming conference only serves as a tacit, maybe explicit, acceptance and support for the state of things in Southern Kaduna,” Washington said.

“Assuming the governor is busy trying to arrest the situation, it is also an unnecessary distraction from the oath he swore to protect the lives and properties of Nigerians living and working in Kaduna, and I think the NBA should allow him focus on the task.”

READ MORE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/nba-conference-lawyers-call-for-removal-of-el-rufai-as-a-speaker-threaten-boycott/

Hope it's not the newly elected Olumide Akpata that put him on the list of speakers, because young lawyers will be very disappointed with him

I hope he is removed. Self serving governor.

short-man-devil

Hell-rufai carry innocence blood for hand! The body bag governor...

Hellrufai on the verge of self delusion