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The umbrella body of legal practitioners in the country, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has lamented the disrespect for the rule of law under the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The association said several court orders and judgement had been disobeyed while the fundamental human rights of citizens had been trampled upon.
This was contained in a New Year message signed by its National President, Mr. Paul Usoro, SAN
It said: “In our country, the rule of law suffers degradation in multiple ways. The rule of law is trampled upon when there is no access to justice or when such access is denied, not well defined or is constrained, stifled or impaired howsoever.
“The rule of law is threatened when the practice of law, whether at the Bar or on the Bench, is brought under siege by agencies of state through their actions and/or inactions.
“The rule of law suffers subjugation when the rights of our people are trampled upon, whether in terms of rights abuses or brazen disobedience of court orders and judgments.
“The rule of law is degraded when we, wittingly or unwittingly, fail to build strong institutions that can stand up to the arbitrariness and abuse of power.
Usoro maintained that the association would not relent in taking stands on issues that undermine the profession even amidst intimidation.
He added that lawyers would be mobilized to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) ahead of the election.
“In 2019, we will continue to condemn and beam our searchlights on these undermining practices. Nigerian lawyers must stand as a united and independent Bar against these unwholesome and undemocratic practices. In carrying out this responsibility, we must not be cowed or intimidated howsoever.”
“2019 is a year of hope and renewal for us not only in the NBA but also in the Nigerian nation, underscoring that national hope and renewal is our role as the pre-eminent Nigerian professional association and the voice of the voiceless.
“Our role as the voice is even more pronounced and accentuated in this election year. This is the year that we would decide both at the national and states levels, how we wish to be governed and into whose hands we will entrust our affairs and lives.
“The elections of 2019 should and must, therefore, serve as a defining moment for our country. In fulfilling these mandates, we have civic responsibility, as lawyers, to cast our votes and I am hoping that we all have our PVCs ready and available for that all-important assignment.”
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