Aggrieved Northern lawyers pull out from NBA over El-Rufai; form a new body
Some Northern
lawyers who are against the decision of the leadership of the Nigerian Bar
Association (NBA) to disinvite Governor Nasir El-Rufai from its Annual General
meeting, have pulled out of the group and formed a new body to be known as the
New Nigerian Bar Association.
The NBA on August
20, withdrew its invitation to Governor El-Rufai to the AGM after some lawyers
demanded for it. Some lawyers argued that Governor El-Rufai had over the years
abused the rights of people who are under his care.
Members of the
Jigawa and Bauchi state chapter of the NBA pulled out of the AGM over the
cancellation of the governor's invite.
In a statement
jointly signed by Nuhu Ibrahim and Abdulbasit Suleiman, the new association said
recent developments within the NBA have “exposed the inability of the NBA to
manage and contain the heterogeneity of its members as well as their various
interests”.
The statement in
part reads
“Its penal powers
has been deployed discriminatively on the basis of ethnicity and regionalism.
As a body of lawyers
who have undergone training towards ensuring the promotion and protection of
human rights and liberties, the NBA is supposed to live above sentiments,
regionalism and discrimination on any basis and of any kind. Therefore, the NBA
cannot afford to be seen not to be upholding the rights and freedom of its own
members if at all, it should be seen to be practising what it preaches.
The New Nigerian Bar
Association have been watching the activities of the NBA, an association we all
looked forward to joining with high hopes before being called to the Nigerian
Bar, forcing idiosyncrasies of few on the majority of its members, especially
in recent times.
No wonder, NBA NEC,
which is the highest decision-making organ of the association failed to uphold
the fundamental principles of fair hearing which in itself, is the fundamental
aspect of Rule of Law, on the allegations against the Executive Governor of
Kaduna state, Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai as were contained in a petition by
Chidi Odinkalu Esq. a long time foe of His Excellency and a lawyer of eastern
extraction, but the NBA failed to extend the same treatment to Southern
invitees who were also petitioned and are also alleged to have committed
similar or more human rights abuses than those alleged against Mallam
El-Rufai.”
The aggrieved
lawyers argued that their interests are no longer taken into consideration in
major decisions of the NBA hence the formation of the new association.
“A cursory chronicle
of the membership composition of major organs of the NBA would reveal lopsided
representation despite having large numbers of lawyers from all parts of the
country and especially northern Nigeria who have diligently paid their bar
practising fees and have distinguished themselves in the legal profession,” it
read.
The New Nigerian Bar
Association feel that lawyers, as professionals like doctors and accountants
should have more than one association regulated by the general council of the
bar.
The legal
practitioners’ act (LPA) which regulates the legal profession in Nigeria did
not establish the NBA. In fact, the NBA was established as an incorporated
trustee by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).
It is no longer
gainsaying that a group of lawyers can freely join any lawful association for
the protection of their rights and interests as lawyers and citizens of Nigeria
pursuant to the above-cited section 40 of the constitution.
Even section 1 of
the LPA, which seemingly conscripted all lawyers in Nigeria to mandatory
membership of NBA is, for all intents and purposes, at loggerheads with Section
40 of the constitution which makes the former null and void and of no effect
whatsoever.”
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