Muslim Lawyers’ Association of Nigeria has asked the Nigerian Bar Association to withdraw the invitation to former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, as speakers at its Annual General Conference.
This is just as another group of lawyers under the aegis of the Radical Agenda Movement in the Nigerian Bar Association demanded the removal of both Obasanjo and Wike from the list of speakers at the NBA conference.
A few days ago, thousands of lawyers had signed a petition asking 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.
The summary of the petition against el-Rufai, which was started by Usani Odum, read, “The senseless killings in Southern Kaduna must stop.
“The political correctness of Governor el-Rufai on national TV is diversionary. It is a reversal to have him speak to lawyers on security, when Governor (Babagana) Zulum of Borno, a better person, can do so.
“We may not be able to do anything to stop the killings, but we can stop the governor from speaking at the NBA-AGC to show our disapproval of the manner he has handled the situation.”
NBA, which bowed to the pressure, tweeted its decision on Thursday, saying, “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to the Kaduna State Governor, H.E. Nasir el-Rufai by the 2020 Annual General Conference Planning committee be withdrawn and decision communicated to the governor.”
But El-Rufai’s Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Muyiwa Adekeye, described the NBA decision as “an unfortunate embrace of injustice, unfairness, absence of fair hearing and total disregard for the rule of law.”
Similarly, the Dutse branch of the NBA, among others, threatened to boycott the 60th virtual conference, which holds between August 26 and 29, 2020, if el-Rufai is not re-invited.
Other speakers at the conference with the theme, ‘Step Forward’, include Vice-President Yemi Osibanjo; House of Representatives Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila; Chief Justice of Nigeria, Tanko Muhammad; Former President Olusegun Obasanjo; Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami; and Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike.
President of the Muslim Lawyers’ Association of Nigeria, Ibrahim Abikan, on Saturday, expressed his association’s objection to having Obasanjo and Wike as speakers at the conference, alleging that they were guilty of the same allegations made against el-Rufai.
He disclosed that the outgoing NBA president, Paul Usoro, SAN, contacted MULAN to suggest an alternative “Northern Muslim speaker” following the withdrawal of the invitation to el-Rufai.
According to him, “MULAN didn’t suggest or recommend el-Rufai to be one of the speakers, so, we wonder why we were approached to come up with an alternative Northern Muslim governor to replace 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.
“People have started forwarding petitions to me of allegations of human rights abuses and disrespect for the rule of law against Obasanjo and Wike. They have started forwarding it to NBA Conference Planning Committee and the NBA as a body.
“Our position is that whoever is going to be speaker should be able to give us quality presentation.”
MULAN’s immediate-past president, Funminiyi Adeleke, said the NBA withdrew invitation to el-Rufai without giving him the opportunity to defend himself.
He said, “We looked at the parameters upon which el-Rufai was dis-invited. Other speakers on that platform are equally guilty.
“For instance, Obasanjo is one of the worst abusers of human rights in Nigeria. We know what happened at various times when he was in the military and when he came back as a civilian leader. He doesn’t have the pedigree to be a speaker.”
“What of Wike? Wike is the first governor to declare his state as a Christian state, which is an affront to Section 10 of the Nigerian Constitution which states that no state shall adopt a religion as the state religion.
“But even when confronted, Wike continues to say that Rivers is a Christian state. He has committed a lot of atrocities – he destroyed mosques, hotels, he did a lot of things and we have a catalogue on them.
“Our position is that the NBA should drop Obasanjo and Wike and get any other person because if you dis-invited el-Rufai for disregard for the rule of law, the two other speakers on the platform are equally guilty.”
RAMINBA, on its part said both Obasanjo and Wike have acted against the rule of law.
RAMINBA Chairman, Adesina Ogunlana and Secretary, Ayo Ademiluyi, in a joint statement on Saturday accused Obasanjo of masterminding the Odi massacre of 1999 and attempting to tamper with the constitution for a third-term agenda.
The group said, “We are however baffled that the list of speakers at the conference still retains the names of Balogun Olusegun Obasanjo, retired general and former president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as well as that of Mr Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers State.
“We are persuaded that these men by their antecedents vis-a-vis the respect for and promotion for the rule of law and due process are not fit for an invitation as speakers in a function such as the conference of Nigerian Bar Association, which mantra remains promoting the rule of law.
“Balogun Obasanjo is known in Nigeria’s most recent history to have launched some of the most brutal assaults on the concept of rule of law. Kindly recall that it was Obasanjo, sworn to uphold the constitution of the land, who refused to obey the supreme court order for the release of the N21 billion Lagos state local government funds illegally and oppressively withheld by his administration.
“Despite the popular outcry that the Supreme Court is obeyed, President Obasanjo arrogantly declined obedience. He remained adamant all through his administration and it was President Yaradua who later complied with the judgement.”
They also accused Wike of destroying properties during the COVID-19 lockdown in his state despite a court order against his action.
“He is the same governor who ordered the demolition without a court order of two hotels in Rivers state recently. The Rivers states task force under the control of Governor Wike is an agency notorious for violation of human rights of citizens in carrying out their tasks,” they stated.
