By CLEMENT OLOYEDE, Kano

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Dutse Branch, Jigawa State, has threatened to boycott the NBA national Virtual Annual General Conference if the decision of national executive on Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State is not reversed immediately.

The chairman of the branch, Garba Abubakar, in a press release made available to Daily Trust on Friday, expressed the branch’s disagreement with the position of National Executive Committee of the Association to withdraw the earlier invitation sent to el- Rufa’i to speak at the forthcoming conference.

The NBA’s NEC had, on Thursday, succumbed to the threats of a mass boycott by some lawyers and withdrew the invitation earlier extended to the governor.

Many lawyers had, Tuesday, threatened to boycott the conference if El-Rufai participated, citing the state government’s handling of the killings in Southern Kaduna as their reason.

However, the NBA Dutse branch chairman said the decision of the NEC of the association was “based on frivolous allegations” and was “unfair as the allegation against the Governor has nothing to do with the NEC or NBA at large.

“Worse still, the Governor has not been given the opportunity to defend himself on the allegations raised against him by a group within the association, before the resolution of this magnitude was reached against him, as the Nigerian Bar Association belongs to all.

He added that the motto of the association is “promoting the rule of law, prudence and justice”, stressing that he (the governor) be given the opportunity to defend himself before taking any decision that affects him.

“If complaints are to be judged on their face value and without due process, similar treatment is to be given to governor of Rivers State, Nyensom Wike, who has serious allegations of abuse of human rights against him to the extent of demolition of residential houses and place of worship without observing due process.

“A section of the country cannot, therefore, take us for a ride as we all have a fair understanding of the law.

“On the strength of this, therefore, we call on the National body under President Usoro SAN, to reverse the decision with immediate effect, else, the Nigerian Bar Association, Dutse Branch, will boycott the Virtual Annual General Conference taking place in a few days to come,” Abubakar added. (Daily Trust)