El-Rufai's participation as one of the key speakers for the conference has drawn criticism this week with threats by some lawyers to boycott it as long as he's involved.

Many lawyers who have registered for the conference said the Kaduna governor is a bad fit for the NBA's image.

A lot of the disaffection for El-Rufai, serving his second term as governor, revolves around his general attitude towards the rule of law, as well as his handling of the insecurity crisis in his state.

The governor's sometimes brash comments about the killings in Southern Kaduna, tainted by ethno-religious undertones, have earned him public backlash and accusations that he tacitly supports the killings, or gives a free pass to the killers.

Despite the outcry, the NBA announced in a statement on Tuesday, August 18, 2020 that El-Rufai's session, tagged 'Am I a Nigerian - A Debate on National Identity, The Indigeneship - Citizenship Conundrum', will be a showcase of the conference as it examines the subject of national identity.

"The session is designed to interrogate the apparent triggers of disunity in our nation and brings to the table speakers from different backgrounds who can contribute to the debate from various perspectives.

"The session is interactive and affords participants to interrogate the panelists," the NBA said.

Others who will speak during El-Rufai's session include Rivers governor, Nyesom Wike; a former Anambra governor, Peter Obi; a former vice presidential candidate, Pastor Tunde Bakare; a former minister, Oby Ezekwesili; and a former ECOWAS commissioner, Salamatu Hussaini.

The session is scheduled for August 27 at the conference which will run from August 26 to August 29, and will take place online due to the physical limitations enforced by the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the NBA, over 15,000 people have registered for the conference tagged 'Step Forward'.