Lawmaker Slams NBA Over Rivers Crisis, Demands Return Of N300m

A member of the House of Representatives from Rivers State, Solomon Bob, has accused the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) of insincerity, hypocrisy, and misguided pretensions over its response to the state of emergency declaration issued by President Bola Tinubu.

The lawmaker, who spoke to journalists in Lagos, said the NBA cannot restrict or amend the clear, discretionary powers granted to President Tinubu under Section 305 of the Constitution.

He maintained that the association cannot interpret or determine which measures qualify as extraordinary, which the President must adopt under the same section.

President Tinubu had issued the emergency proclamation on March 18, 2025, after a prolonged crisis involving Governor Siminilayi Fubara and the Martin Amaewhule-led House of Assembly, which is loyal to Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike.

Defending the state of emergency in his home state, Bob argued that the NBA lacks the “jurisdictional competence or ethical integrity to serve as a benchmark for measuring democracy and constitutionalism.”

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He claimed that the association, which should embody democratic participation, has instead become a cartel pursuing narrow interests to the point where it cannot organise elections based on the principle of universal franchise, devoid of zoning.

He said that, since the 1992 conference fiasco, “so-called NBA elections are no more than predetermined coronations of regional or even ethnic elites.”

Regarding the NBA’s statement, the federal lawmaker described it as a distraction, asserting, “Having witnessed Fubara’s dangerous incompetence firsthand, and the embarrassment his actions have brought upon my state, I find the statement arrogant and a gratuitous insult.”

He criticised the NBA’s claim that the 300 million naira was a gift, calling it unreasonable and unbecoming of a “self-appointed ombudsman.” He insisted that the money be returned to the Rivers State government, warning that if it is not, the authorities in Port Harcourt should take all necessary steps to recover it.