The Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) has asked President Goodluck Jonathan to call for and receive the minority report on the proposed National Dialogue and remove doubts over the inclusiveness of the process.
Inaugurating a committee on National Conference and Constitutional Review for the NBA, the president, Mr Okey Wali said the minority must be allowed to have a say even if the majority is to have its way.
He said pertinent issues need be addressed including representation, political structure and federalism noting that the bar will only support a conference whose report shall not be altered by government and which is also final, binding and validated by Nigerians through a referendum.
It was reported that a minority was to be submitted by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Solomon Asemota.
His disagreement, according to a local newspaper, with the committee is noted in his separate letters to President Goodluck Jonathan and Professor Ben Nwabueze.
The local newspaper reported that in his letter, dated 6 December, 2013, Asemota told Jonathan that he had to forward the report to him because it was rejected by the committee and was not intended to be included in the report.
“I am not in any doubt that the committee’s jurisdiction does not extend to rejection of a minority report and the issue would not have arisen if the Chairman was willing to take the opinion of a senior lawyer in the committee into consideration”, he wrote.
Furthermore, in his letter dated 2 December to Nwabueze, Asemota complained that all his attempts to make the Committee listen to his viewpoints failed and only some some experts ideas were accepted.
“As a result of these developments, I came to the conclusion that some of us were invited to promote viewpoints that are contrary to my conscience and learning,” Asemota complained.
