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From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) said it was wrong to refer to President Bola Tinubu as an illegal president since no court has set aside his declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The body of lawyers submitted that as of today, “there is only one President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces in the person of President Bola Tinubu.”
President of the NBA, Yakubu Maikyau made the assertion yesterday at a public presentation of the communique issued at the 63rd Annual General Conference of the association, held in Abuja.
The NBA president who was fielding questions from journalists at the event dismissed insinuations by some lawyers that Tinubu remains an illegal and unconditional President by virtue of the election petitions challenging his legitimacy.
On why the NBA invited him to declare the conference open in view of the pending litigations against his victory at the polls, Maikyua said: “There is a provision of the Evidence Act which says that if a declaration is made by a public officer, that declaration is deemed to be right and that everything is needed to be done for that thing to happen has been done.
“There is no where you will find in any law that says because an election is being challenged, the person whose election is being challenged is holding an illegal or unconstitutional office. That is wrong.
“As lawyers, we have the responsibility to direct the people and not to mislead them. And let me tell you, we are very influential by reason of the position we hold because people of this country are expecting us to guide them on the provisions of the law.
“That is why a Professor of Medicine, if he has an issue with a contract, he looks for a lawyer, he may be one year at the bar, because it is the lawyer that knows where the breach happened and how to provide remedy.
