NBA dialogue: Presidential candidates kick as Tinubu sends representative

Candidates in the forthcoming presidential election yesterday protested against the decision of the flag-bearer of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu, to send a representative at a state of the nation dialogue that was convened by the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA.

Tinubu, who was absent at the event, briefed a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Mr. Hassan Liman, to speak on his behalf.

Liman, SAN, who is a member of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, had after all the other presidential candidates took their seats to speak on how they intend to tackle the current security, economic and political challenges facing the nation, mounted the stage to stand in place of the APC candidate.

His action however drew the irk of the other candidates, especially that of the Zenith Labour Party, ZLP, Mr. Daniel Nwanyanwu, who maintained that it was wrong to allow a non presidential candidate to speak at the forum.

"I thank the NBA for this invitation, but I believe that the intendment was not for any presidential candidate to and any one to come and represent him to speak with other presidential candidates.

"I cancelled all my appointments to be here. I don't think that it will be right for us to have a placeholder for anyone. Nigeria is no t growing simply because we are not obeying rules. You have a right to come or not to come. 

When he was called to speak, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, AAC, Mr. Omoyele Sowore, equally took a swipe at the APC flag-bearer over his absence at the dialogue session.

He said: "You can see that those of us that are present here today are the real candidates. 

"At least you can judge for yourselves whether some of us will fall asleep so that you can compare us with the old candidates".

Sowore, who decried that the current security arrangement in the country is tailored towards the protection of elites, told the audience that Tinubu's representative, Liman, SAN, was the one that appeared as government prosecutor when he was tried on trumped up charges that bordered on cyber bullying.

The ACC candidate equally tacked the NBA which it said has continued to spend billions of Naira on conferences, with lawyers failing to offer free legal services to indigent citizens.

Meanwhile, in his response, Tinubu's representative, Liman, SAN, apologised for the absence of the APC flag-bearer.

"Tinubu's absence here today is not out of disrespect for the NBA but for certain reasons beyond his control.

"It was because he did not want to leave the seat empty, that is why he sent me to represent him as the Director Legal of the Presidential Council.

"Tinubu respects all the presidential candidates", he added.

He said the APC candidate will upon his assumption into office, embark on massive recruitment for both the police and the Army.

Other presidential candidates at the event were; Hamza Al-Mustapha of the Action Alliance, AA, Dumebi Kachikwu of the African Democratic Congress, ADC; Sani Yusuf of Action Democratic Party, ADP; Prof Peter Umeadi of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, and Prince Adewole Adebayo of Social Democratic Party, SDP.

Though Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, LP, were invited, they neither attended nor sent a representative.

In his remarks, the NBA President, Mr. Yakubu Maikyau, SAN, said the legal body invited all the presidential candidates to participate in the dialogue "in the hope that whoever wins the election, we would have a basis to further engage and hold government accountable to the people of Nigeria", he added.

Culled from Vanguard