NBA Apologises, Says Why El-Rufai Was Rejected

By Emmanuel Adigwe

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has apologized to Governor Nasir el-Rufau of Kaduna State for withdrawing his invitation to attend its upcoming NBA Annual General Conference as a panelist.

The NBA President, Paul Usoro (SAN),  stated this in a letter dated 21st August 2020 and addressed to the Director-General, Nigerian Governors’ Forum.

“Let me once again, through your good offices, tender my unreserved apologies to His Excellency, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, Governor of Kaduna State, for the unintended embarrassment that may have been caused him by the decision of the NBA National Executive Committee (NEC) decision at its meeting that was held on 20th August 2020, to dis-invite him as a Panelist in one of the sessions scheduled for the upcoming NBA Annual General Conference (AGC).

“As the NBA President, I take full responsibility for the unintended embarrassment and tender my regrets and apologies,” Usoro stated.

Usoro stated that the initial decision to invite El-Rufai was made by the AGC’s Technical Committee for Conference Planning (TCCP) of the association without clearance from NEC as a body.

He explained that the TCCP is itself an organ of NEC and was constituted by NEC at its meeting in December 2019 and answerable to NEC.

The body, according to Usoro, has a compulsory role to report its activities to NEC at NEC’s quarterly meetings one of which was held on August 20.

He said: “As an elected National Officer of the Association, I am personally answerable to NEC and cannot overrule its decisions even if I have different viewpoints and positions in regard thereto. TCCP, as an NBA organ, is in precisely the same position and the same applies to all other committees of the NBA.”

According to Usoro, a standard agenda item for the Quarterly NEC Meeting is the Report from the various NBA Sections, Forums and Committees, to the extent that the NBA Committees’ works and activities are on the NEC Agenda, NEC members are at liberty to raise questions, demand clarifications, discuss and give mandatory directives and directions on those works and activities and the Committees are bound by those directives and directions of NEC.

He disclosed that that the statutory membership of NEC comprises of all Past Presidents and General Secretaries and three members each from each of the 125 Branches of the association, with about 120 co-opted members.

The invitation of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai as a panelist was brought up by NEC members following  TCCP’s arrangements for the 2020 AGC which was placed on the agenda for discussions and  a large group of people called for El-Rufai’s  dis-invitation.

The NBA boss disclosed that the Kaduna state governor is a friend who he has known since the 1980s adding, “I am bound, as an elected President of the NBA, by decisions and directives of NEC to whom I am answerable in my official capacity.

“There truly was nothing that I or the TCCP could do in the face of NEC’s decision,” he said and disclosed that the decision of NBA’s NEC had no ethnic or religious connotation whatsoever.

He explained that the NBA NEC, by its decision, was not  being judgmental to Mallam Nasir El-Rufai as the body is not in a position to pass any judgments without having the corresponding facts and hearing from all the sides and it did not set out to pass any such judgment.

“I truly would appreciate your bringing this letter to the attention not just of HE Nasir el-Rufai but also to all the other members of the esteemed Nigerian Governors’ Forum and in particular, the Chairman of the Forum, HE (Dr) Kayode Fayemi.

“Please, assure their Excellencies that the NBA holds all our Governors, including HE Nasir el-Rufai, in the highest esteem and would do nothing intentionally to embarrass them collectively or individually.

“Once again, I offer my sincere and deepest apologies and regrets for the unintended embarrassment that may have been caused to HE Nasir el-Rufai by the afore-referenced decision of the NBA NEC and would appreciate your passing on my regrets and apologies to him personally,” Usoro concluded.

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