Lawyers drag Kano NBA to court over alleged disqualification to contest elections

In the suit, the duo is seeking a legal interpretation on whether NBA has the authority to disallow or disqualify lawyers, who have paid their mandatory current Bar practice fee and have a 10-year post-call standing from contesting an election based on their succeeding anniversary.

Joined in the sue as defendant are Isma’il Abdul’ziz, Chairman Electoral Committee and Zainab Bello, Secretary of the Electoral Committee.

In the application, Messrs Bawa and Aliyu-Gidado said they had filed the suit for themselves and on behalf of all concerned members of the NBA in Kano branch, affected by the release of the guidelines for the NBA Kano Election, 2024.

The applicants, through their legal representative, Muhammad Muhammad, approached the Federal High Court, Kano Number 3 with an Ex-parte Application with a sole prayer as follows.

“An order of interim injunction restraining the Defendants either by themselves, their appointees, their privies, assigned members, committees, group by whatever name called from disallowing and disqualifying Lawyers who have their mandatory current Bar Practising Fee as lawyers for 10 years post call standing to contest election on the basis of succeeding Anniversary, pending the hearing and determination of the Applicants’ motion on notice before the court”.

The presiding judge, Justice Simon Amobeda, after hearing the ex-parte application, refused to grant the prayer.

The judge, however, ordered that the respondents be put on notice for them to appear in the next adjourned date.

Mr Amobeda, similarly, ordered that the order and processes should be served on the respondents before next adjourned date.

He adjourned to June 6 for hearing.