Nigeria, who is in charge? NBA asks PDP

Nigerian  Bar Association (NBA)  yesterday asked the ruling party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to tell Nigerians who is in charge of the country since President Umoru Yar’Adua went for  medical without handing over to his vice, Goodluck Jonathan.

The NBA, reacting to  the statement credited to the National Legal  Adviser of the, Chief Olusola Oke that it was playing politics with the health of President Umoru Yar’Ardua as “a diversionary tactics”, said PDP should “ address  the main issue of who is really the captain of this ship because as stated in  the affidavit before the court NBA, has on many matters affecting public interest been speaking on behalf if its members and the public through its president.

The subject of this action has generated so much public discourse being a matter having to do with the peace, order and good governance of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Nigerian lawyers  are also stakeholders in this project called Nigeria.”

The statement signed by the Assistant National Publicity  Secretary of NBA, Gbolahan Gbadamosi, Oke was quoted to have voiced the objection of his party to the recent legal step  taken by NBA asking the Federal High Court, Abuja to determine whether it is right for the President to be out of the country for over one month without communicating to the National Assembly and not handing over to the Vice-President.

“For avoidance of doubt the decision  to institute  this action   was taken after due consultation with members of the association contrary to Oke’s insinuation,”the NBA noted.

The association further stated  that, “the new suit does not have Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) as the only plaintiff.

Incorporated Trustees of Nigerian Bar Association  and General Secretary of NBA, Ibrahim Eddy Mark are co- plaintiffs.”

NBA contended that , “At  what point can NBA be said to be playing politics with Yar’Ardua’s health as if Vice-President Jonathan Goodluck who should be the Acting President if Yar’Ardua has obeyed  the 1999 constitution he swore to protect is not a member of the so called largest party in Africa-PDP?”

“Chief Olusola Oke”, NBA added , “should take time  to dust his knowledge of law in order to be abreast of new development in the legal profession. If he has done this, he would have known that with the convocation of the 2009 Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure)Rules the obnoxious issue of locus standi has been expanded in the area of public interest litigation to include organisations  like NBA.”