NBA: It is now clear that El-Rufai has many enemies — Hussaini

• By Ahmed Musa Hussaini

I have been following the conversation about Elrufai's aborted appearance at the NBA conference with great amusement. There's no disputing the fact that the NBA has the right to issue or withdraw invitations for its own events and its members equally have the right to protest the appearance of any individual in NBA events.


But considering that the NBA is a professional association (of legal professionals for that matter), its actions must be guided by consistency and fairness.

By consistency I mean those same reasons behind the protest against Elrufai's appearance and subsequent disinvitation should apply to all conference invitees. If Elrufai's crime is contempt for the rule of law, then neither Obasanjo who masterminded the most flagrant abuse of the judiciary nor Wike who acts as the poster boy of political rascality deserves any invitation.



Likewise, if the insecurity in Southern Kaduna is Elrufai's crime, then the above two politicians are also equally guilty, Wike for the lawlessness in Rivers and Obasanjo for his own terrible security record the hallmark of which was the assassination of his own minister of justice and a ranking senior advocate of Nigeria.

And by fairness I mean the NBA should equally listen to its members who are in favor of Elrufai's appearance. By failing to subject its decision to any vote and instead pandering to the sentiments of a section of its membership, the NBA has failed in its most primary of duties which is to accord its members equal say and equal stake in the affairs of the association.

The truth is, those opposed to Elrufai's appearance do so out of sheer partisanship than any concern for the rule of law or national security. Absent the Southern Kaduna crisis, they would still oppose Elrufai's appearance. Absent Elrufai as Kaduna governor, they would still wail in disapproval. And by anchoring their protest on the insecurity in Southern Kaduna specifically while ignoring similar security challenges in other parts of the state, they have already exposed their struggle as one based on sectarian considerations and not any genuine interest in peace and stability.


Actions like this are not going to go without consequences, one of which are the moves by some NBA State branches to disassociate themselves from the decision by the national body, leading to fears of factionalization along regional lines. In as much as those fears are real, the NBA started the fire by its openly one-sided decision.

The fact is, the road to justice and equity passes through fairness and consistency. The NBA has unsurprisingly failed in these two responsibilities. But more importantly, it has set a dangerous precedent that will only lead the association towards disunity.