El-Rufai should have been given a fair hearing- Sanusi

The Former Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi, has condemned the disinvitation of Governor Nasir El-Rufai as a speaker in one of the panel sessions at the 2020 conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

Speaking during a visit to the Kaduna State governor at his office in the Government House on Sunday, Sanusi criticised the NBA for taking such a decision by relying on mere hearsay or petition from a few lawyers.

He believes it is wrong to withdraw the invitation the association earlier extended to the governor without given him a fair hearing to defend himself.

“If you feel that the governor of Kaduna state is not doing well, you should invite him to your conference and ask him, and let him explain himself on what he’s doing and tell him what you think he’s doing wrong. You will learn something form him and he’ll learn something from you,” he said.

“If you disagree with someone, having him in your hall and telling him your view is the best and he can defend himself. And if they’re things he needs to improve, he’ll take them on board and if they’re things you don’t know of, you’ll be better informed. I think NBA has lost an opportunity to interrogate the Governor and collectively rub minds to identify areas that need to be addressed for the purpose of governance.”

The former emir, however, advised that the matter should be handled properly by the leadership of the NBA to prevent it from generating ethnic or religious concerns.

Sanusi also prayed for peace to return to the troubled Southern Kaduna and other parts of the country where there were security challenges.

He also commended his host for the way he has managed the affairs of Kaduna, especially the effort to resolve the security challenges in Southern Kaduna and other parts of the state