The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), President, Paul Usoro, has apologised to the Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, for the withdrawal of the invitation granted him as a discussant in one of the sessions of the forthcoming Annual General Conference (AGC), of the NBA.
Paul Usoro (SAN), in a letter dated August 21, 2020, and addressed to the Director-General, Nigerian Governors’ Forum said: “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), 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 explained that the initial decision to invite El-Rufai was made by the AGC’s Technical Committee for Conference Planning (TCCP), without consultations with the NEC.
He noted that the TCCP is itself an organ of NEC, constituted by NEC, and answerable to NEC.
The NBA President said the TCCP has a mandatory responsibility to report its activities to NEC, at NEC’s quarterly meetings, one of which was held on August 20.
“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.” He said.
According to him, the agenda for the Quarterly NEC Meeting is the report from the various NBA Sections, Forums and Committees, to the point 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 the Committees are bound by the directives of the NEC.
“The invitation of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai was brought up by NEC members when the TCCP’s arrangements for the 2020 AGC was placed on the agenda for discussions and the preponderance of opinion was that El-Rufai be dis-invited,” Usoro continued.
The Kaduna State Governor, Usoro said, is a close friend of his, whom he has known since the 1980s, adding that, “I am bound, as an elected President of the NBA, by decisions and directives of NEC to whom I am answerable to 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 pointed out that the decision of NBA’s NEC had no ethnic or religious connotation whatsoever.
He maintained that the NBA NEC, by its decision, was not passing any judgment on Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, as the body is not in a position to pass such judgments without having all the facts and hearing from all the sides and it did not set out do so.
“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 added.
