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Speakers’ Controversy: Obasanjo Shuns NBA Conference by Nobody: 9:04pm On Aug 29, 2020 |
yode Oyero
Following the controversy that trailed his
inclusion as one of the speakers at the 60th
Virtual Annual General Conference of the
Nigerian Bar Association, former President
Olusegun Obasanjo during the week, boycotted
the conference with the theme, ‘Step Forward’.
The just-concluded NBA conference generated
heated controversy when thousands of lawyers
signed a petition for the NBA to remove Kaduna
State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, from the list of
speakers due to his government’s failure to stop
the killings in Southern Kaduna, and his alleged
human rights record.
Bowing to pressure, the NBA tweeted its decision,
“The National Executive Committee of the
Nigerian Bar Association at its ongoing meeting
resolves that the invitation to the Kaduna State
Governor, H.E. Nasir el-Rufai by the 2020 Annual
General Conference Planning committee be
withdrawn and decision communicated to the
governor.”
However, the disinvitation of el-Rufai sparked
outrage with the Muslim Lawyers’ Association of
Nigeria asking the NBA to remove Obasanjo and
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, from the list
of speakers at the conference.
MULAN President, Ibrahim Abikan, in an interview
with The PUNCH had said his association objected
to having Obasanjo and Wike as speakers at the
conference because they were allegedly guilty of
the same allegations filed against el-Rufai.
“We insist that if any standard is set for
withdrawing el-Rufai, the same should apply to
other speakers too.
“El-Rufai is a public officer and any other person
who has the same record of allegations of human
rights abuses should also be disqualified. We
expect that the same standard should apply to
Obasanjo and Wike,” Abikan, a Professor of Law
at the University of Ilorin, said.
READ ALSO: Akpata, SANs kick as northern
lawyers form parallel NBA
Our correspondent observed that while other
speakers including Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo
and House of Representatives Speaker, Femi
Gbajabiamila, spoke at the conference, Obasanjo
did not, while Wike sent a representative.
Confirming the development, Abikan told The
PUNCH on Friday, “I can confirm to you that
former President Olusegun Obasanjo did not
speak at the conference while Governor Nyesom
Wike sent his SSG to represent him.”
Also, Obasanjo’s Special Assistant on Media,
Kehinde Akinyemi, told our correspondent in a
telephone interview on Saturday that the former
military head of state did not attend or speak at
the conference.
“Former President Olusegun Obasanjo was
obviously not at the conference but I don’t know
why he did not attend the event,” Akinyemi said.
But a top source among the conference planning
committee told our correspondent that Obasanjo
was advised by the organisers not to attend the
event due to the controversy that his inclusion
generated.
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FORMER PRESIDENT OLUSEGUN
OBASANJO NIGERIAN BAR
ASSOCIATION
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Re: Speakers’ Controversy: Obasanjo Shuns NBA Conference by okefrancis: 9:30pm On Aug 29, 2020 |
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Re: Speakers’ Controversy: Obasanjo Shuns NBA Conference by OgundeleTeju: 9:31pm On Aug 29, 2020 |
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Re: Speakers’ Controversy: Obasanjo Shuns NBA Conference by Deputy1111(m): 9:39pm On Aug 29, 2020 |
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