Human Rights Activist, Professor Chidi Odinkalu has condemned the purported amendment of the Rules of Professional Conduct, by AGF, Abubakar Malami.

In a thread of 6 tweets contained on his tweeter page, Prof. Odinkalu tweeted: that the Purported Amendment Of Rules Of Professional Conduct By AGF, Malami is as “Dud As A Bounced Cheque” and should be disregarded.

Read tweets:

“Nigeria’s Attorney-General & Minister of Justice, @MalamiSan, claims to have amended Rules of Professional Conduct (RPC) in the Legal Profession under powers conferred by s.12(4l) of Legal Practitioners Act. There’re no such powers? We have a HAGF (that) can’t do basic due diligence.

“The power to “prepare, and from time to time revise, a statement as to the kind of conduct which the Council considers to be infamous conduct in a professional respect” created in s.11(4) of the Legal Practitioners Act, belongs to the #Bar Council not to the HAGF.

“The #BarCouncil is a statutory body created by s.1 of the Legal Practitioners Act. It comprises 57 persons, made up of:
1. HAGF as president;
2. All state attorneys age metal
3. 20 reps of @NigBarAssoc.

“No meeting of the #BarCouncil has been called in order to amend the RPC

“The purported amendment of the RPC by @MalamiSan is as dud as a bounced cheque because:

1. He claims to have acted under a section of the law that gives him no such powers;

2. Even if he acted under the right provision, he can’t usurp the role of the #BarCouncil & he knows it!

“The only way to go is to totally disregard & ignore this alleged “amendment” by (AGF) @MalamiSan of the RPC. It does not exist & did not happen.

“It seems clear that @MalamiSan decided to go rogue on this – as on other things as he has on disobedience of court orders – because he knows that he can’t get his proposal through the #BarCouncil.