The Rivers State government has demanded for a refund of the sum of N300 million from the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) for the relocation of its 2025 annual general conference earlier slated to hold in Port Harcourt to Enugu State.
The state government, in a statement issued on Monday by the senior special assistant on Media to the sole administrator, Hector Igbikiowubo, expressed disappointment over the NBA decision to change the venue of its conference.
The statement described the reasons given by the association for the decision as “misleading, uncharitable, and unbecoming.”
It acknowledged the NBA’s right to choose its preferred venue but faulted the association’s suggestion that the current administration, headed by a Sole Administrator, was undermining democracy and the rule of law.
The statement stated that the declaration of the emergency rule in the state was a “necessary response to a breakdown of public order and democratic processes”.
It read in part: “Contrary to the NBA’s assertions, the sole administrator has consistently reaffirmed his commitment to restoring democratic institutions as soon as practicable,” the statement reads.
“Upholding the constitutional rights of all residents, including freedom of movement, speech, and association. Respecting judicial pronouncements, including those of the Supreme Court, which have guided the administration’s actions.
“The NBA, as a body of legal minds, should know better than to reduce a complex constitutional matter to political sensationalism.
“While we respect the NBA’s right to choose its conference venues, we find it curious that the association — despite its ‘principled position’— didn’t address the refund of the N300 million already paid by the Rivers State Government for the hosting rights of the 2025 conference.
“If the NBA truly stands on principle, it should demonstrate the same integrity by promptly returning these funds rather than benefiting from a state it now publicly discredits.”
