SERAP hails NBA for dropping El’Rufai as speaker, wants action extended to other governors

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has thumbed up the decision by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to withdrew the invitation extended to Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, to participate in the association’s Annual General Conference.

SERAP in a series of tweets on Thursday backed the decision by the NBA which had earlier withdrawn its invitation to El-Rufai via a tweet on its official Twitter handle following protests from some lawyers.

The rights group in the series of tweets also urged the NBA not to invite any sitting Nigerian governor until President Muhammadu Buhari obeys all outstanding court orders.

“We welcome the decision by @NigBarAssoc to withdraw its invitation to Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai on ground of poor human rights record,” SERAP tweeted.

“We also call on NBA NOT to invite @NigeriaGov /its reps to its events until President Buhari obeys ALL outstanding court orders,” the rights group concluded.

This came days after SERAP sent an open letter to President Buhari urging him to urgently instruct Mr Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to withdraw the Broadcasting Code and Memo threatening to sanction any broadcast that denigrates, disrespects, insults, and abuses president, governors, lawmakers, and other elders and leaders in authority.

The group described the development, as “apparently illegal”, and capable of suppressing meaningful debate among citizens over issues of leadership in the country.