Conference: Withdraw Obasanjo’s invite as guest speaker, SERAP urges NBA

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has urged the Nigerian Bar Association to immediately withdraw the invitation of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo as one of the guest speakers in its 60^th NBA annual general conference, “for reportedly calling Justice MB Idris stupid and ignorant”.

Fresh Angle International scooped from a statement released this afternoon, Wednesday August 26, by SERAP, that the former President allegedly called Justice MB Idris "stupid and ignorant", after the judge ruled that details on the spending of recovered stolen public funds since 1999 be widely published.

The Rights and Accountability group, stated: “Obasanjo should apologise to the highly respected judge, who is now at the Court of Appeal and to Nigerians. He should also publicly support the enforcement of the judgment and call on President Buhari to implement it.

“Following the judgment in 2016, Obasanjo reportedly said, they said the money recovered from Abacha, I should account for it. What stupidity! The man [Justice Idris] who asked for it, the man who gave the judgement or who answered them are all stupid.

“This statement, coming from a former President of Nigeria, flies in the face of leadership by example and has undermined the authority of the country’s judiciary, eroding the rule of law and access to justice for Nigerians.

“While it’s within Obasanjo’s right to disagree with the judgment or even criticise it, calling Justice Idris “stupid and ignorant” simply for doing his job amounts to inappropriate political criticism as it threatens the judge’s independence and integrity.

“Therefore, Obasanjo shouldn't be allowed to speak on the rule of law at the NBA conference.

“It's time for the NBA to send a strong message that it would not tolerate any attack on the rule of law and independence and authority of Nigerian courts”.

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