The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has withdrawn the invitation extended to the Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai to speak at its 2020 Annual General Conference (AGC).
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the decision, reached by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the NBA, was announced on Thursday at the 2020 pre-AGC NEC meeting of the NBA.
At the meeting, the NBA NEC resolved that the invitation extended to the Kaduna State Governor by the 2020 Annual General Conference Planning committee be withdrawn.
Recall that massive protests greeted the invitation of the Kaduna State Governor to the NBA’s 2020 AGC. Many lawyers hitherto threatened to boycott the AGC if the invitation to the Governor was not withdrawn.
The lawyers cited killings in southern Kaduna as parts of the reasons why they wanted the invitation extended to the Kaduna State Governor withdrawn.
According to them, stopping the Governor from speaking at the NBA’s AGC would show disapproval of the manner he is handling the situation in southern Kaduna.
The lawyers also cited other allegations against the Kaduna State Governor.
TNG reports the decision to withdraw the invitation of El-Rufai to the AGC had been communicated to him, according to the NBA’s NEC.
TNG further reports that the virtual NEC meeting of the NBA is the same as the customary Pre-AGC NEC meeting of the association.
It will be the last NEC meeting of the Paul Usoro led NBA administration. With participants from all of its 125 branches, the NEC is the highest decision making organ of the NBA after the AGM.