Leaders of the Nigerian Bar Association,NBA,in the northern geopolitical zone have said that they are not part of any splinter group of the association including the New Nigeria Bar Association, formed by some muslim lawyers following the disinvitation of Governor El-Rufai for the just concluded NBA conference.
The leaders who met with the national leaders of the NBA on Wednesday, resolved to work with the new leadership of the Association led by Olumide Akpata.
The meeting which was attended by over 40 branch chairmen and leaders of the NBA from the North,had a unifying message from Akpata.
Speaking with newsmen, Akpata said that the NBA is not divided and remains one.
According to him,it was wrong for lawyers,who ought lead on the right way to go and promote national unity, to be engaged in divisive acts.
He said ‘As lawyers,we should learn to disagree to agree.we have spoken unequivocally today that we are one association, and by extension one country”.
The resolutions of the meeting was read by Elisha Yakubu Kura, Acting Chairman of Arewa Lawyers Forum.
The resolutions titled” Meeting between the NBA President, National leaders and branch chairmen and leaders of the northern geopolitical zone of the NBA reads” At the meeting today, Mr Akpata reassured us that his administration is very keen on ensuring that we did not have only a united Bar,but also an indivisible one, and we verily believe in him.
” We have unanimously agreed to support his leadership of the NBA, and we hereby restate our true allegiance to the NBA and dissociate ourselves from the NEW NBA or any splinter group whatsoever making the waves in recent weeks as a new association body of lawyers in Nigeria.”
They urged the NNBA and lawyers across the country to rally behind the leadership of Akpata.
