The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has withdrawn its invitation to Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state, to speak at its annual general meeting.
Some lawyers had kicked against the choice of the governor as a speaker, saying he “represents the very anti-thesis of what we profess to defend.”
In a petition to Koyinsola Ajayi, chairman of the technical committee on the NBA conference planning, some lawyers under the aegis of Open Bar Initiative described the invitation as a “reward for misrule.”
At a meeting on Thursday, the leadership of the association decided to cancel the invitation extended to the governor.