NBA Neither Requested For Nor Received Any Money From The Rivers Sole Administrator: A Response To Social Media Report

I have read with concern the statement circulating on social media purportedly issued by the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd), in which he accuses the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) of hypocrisy over its decision to relocate the 2025 Annual General Conference (AGC) from Port Harcourt to Enugu. As a member of the legal profession and a stakeholder in the affairs of the NBA, I find it necessary to respond, both in defence of the Bar and to urge the NBA to stand firm in the face of political pressure and constitutional subversion.

1. There Are No “Hosting Rights” in NBA Conference Planning: The concept of “hosting rights” as invoked by the Sole Administrator is unknown to the practice or tradition of the NBA. There has never been any formal bidding process or contractual commitment that accords a state perpetual or presumptive rights to host the AGC. The choice of venue is a discretionary decision of the NBA National Executive Committee, made after careful evaluation of infrastructure, logistics, security, accessibility, and the general atmosphere conducive to the hosting of a national event of the NBA’s stature. That Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt have frequently featured as host cities is a matter of capacity, not entitlement. The narrative suggesting that Rivers State was unjustly stripped of a “right” is not only constitutionally incoherent, but also historically inaccurate.

2. Financial Contributions Do Not Determine Conference Venues: The claim that the NBA’s decision is somehow tied to a failure to honour financial contributions made by the Rivers State Government is deeply flawed. The NBA is an independent professional association, not a mercantile contractor. Its commitment to national service and legal development cannot be bought or sold. The 2023 AGC held in Abuja was conducted without any financial contribution from the FCT Administration. The suggestion that states can buy influence or secure hosting rights by donations is a dangerous insinuation that undermines the integrity of the legal profession. The NBA must continue to demonstrate that it is immune to inducement and that its decisions are guided solely by principle, not patronage.

3. Contextualising the Rivers State Government’s N300 Million Support: It is critical to understand that the N300 million contribution referenced by the Sole Administrator was made under a democratically elected administration. The NBA’s engagement was with a government legitimately elected by the people. The situation has since changed. Rivers State is currently under a governance arrangement that is widely viewed as unconstitutional and antithetical to the rule of law. As lawyers, we cannot turn ignore the erosion of constitutionalism in any part of this country. The NBA, in line with its duty to uphold the rule of law and democratic governance, made the morally and constitutionally right decision to withdraw from an engagement that could be interpreted as legitimising autocracy.

4. The NBA Must Not Be Intimidated or Gaslighted: The NBA must not be bullied into reversing its principled decision. The veiled threat of public blackmail and the invocation of misplaced grievances should not move the Bar. We must remind ourselves that the NBA’s credibility rests not in how many funds it collects from governments, but in its ability to stand as the voice of the Constitution, even when it is inconvenient to do so. Any attempt to weaponise public sentiment to undermine the NBA’s decision must be seen for what it is—a distraction from the real issue: the imposition of undemocratic governance in Rivers State.

5. My Admonition to the NBA: Stay the Course: I commend the NBA for its courage in relocating the 2025 AGC and urge it to remain unshaken. The Bar must resist the temptation to sanitise or normalise unconstitutional governance. We cannot, as an Association, claim to defend democracy and yet fraternise with actors who rise to power through means repugnant to that very ideal. The NBA has always been more than a convener of conferences; it is a bulwark against tyranny and arbitrariness. In this moment, more than ever, we must hold fast to that role.

Let us be clear: this is not a repudiation of the people or lawyers of Rivers State—who remain our colleagues and brothers—but a rejection of unconstitutional governance. And it is a stand we must continue to take, with resolve and without apology.
We are lawyers. We are defenders of the rule of law. And we must not retreat.