Nosa Edo-Osage, chairman, Benin branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), has urged the 13 political parties participating in the coming governorship election in Edo to play by the rules.
Mr Edo-Osagie made the call at the opening ceremony of the Annual Law Week of the branch also known as the Lion Bar on Monday in Benin.
The theme of this year is: “Law as a tool for economic advancement and national security”.
Mr Edo-Osagie said that there was the need to ensure that the political parties and their candidates play by the rules to enthrone peace.
According to him, what is critical to the NBA is that they must play by the rules to avoid breakdown of the law and order.
“Anarchy is not what we crave for because when there is anarchy, there is a bigger problem than you expect.
”So for all those aspirants in the field, they must by necessity play by the rules.”
Earlier, the chairman, planning committee of the Law Week, Paschal Ugbome said the theme was chosen to reflect the current realities in the country.
Mr Ugbome said that solutions to the issues would also be proffered at the end of the programme
He said that economic advancement and national security were capable of either moving the nation forward or making it remain static or totally collapse as a nation.
“As lawyers, we decided to look at it from the prism of law because we believe that law is a pivot on which these two issues rotate.
“We will interrogate how we have fared as lawyers, where the law itself has failed as an instrument for economic advancement to guarantee national security.
“We believe we will come out with a way forward on these issues at the end of the Week.”
In his goodwill message, Gov Godwin Obaseki, who was represented by the attorney general and commissioner for justice, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, said the theme of the weeklong activity was apt.
“We must examine our legal framework with the possibility of reforming it to ensure it is fit for the current realities,” Obaseki said .
Present at the occasion are Asue Ighodalo, governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP) who are both members of the NBA.
Sen. Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was also present
They were invited by the NBA as speakers.
(NAN)
