[BREAKING] Ibas to NBA: Return N300m Paid for Now-Relocated 2025 Conference
The Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd) has called on the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to refund the N300million his led administration paid to the association to host the 2025 annual general conference in the State.
The sole administrator in a statement signed by his Senior Special Adviser, Hector Igbikiowubo, on Monday, said since the NBA has relocated its AGC from Port Harcourt to Enugu, the stated money should be refunded back to the state.
Ibas who stated in the statement through his SSA that Rivers State is going through a challenge time, said “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”.
In the statement titled “RE: ENUGU TO HOST THE 2025 NBA ANNUAL GENERAL CONFERENCE”, Ibas acknowledged the NBA’s right to determine the venue of its events, saying “we find the reasons cited for this decision particularly the insinuation that the Sole Administrator’s actions have undermined democracy and the rule of law to be misleading, uncharitable, and unbecoming of an association that prides itself on upholding justice and fairness”.
He stated that the NBA’s statement overlookedthe constitutional basis for the current administration in Rivers State, stressing that “The declaration of a state of emergency was a necessary response to a breakdown of public order and democratic processes”.
Ibas explained that “His Excellency President Bola Tinubu, in exercising his constitutional authority, acted in the best interest of the state to restore stability. The Sole Administrator’s mandate is clear: to oversee a transitional period that ensures the return of full democratic governance in line with the Constitution. To suggest that this intervention ‘flouts the rule of law’ is not only incorrect but ignores the Supreme Court’s rulings that have validated key decisions made during this period.
“In the event the NBA is not aware, may we refer the association to the landmark judgment of the Supreme Court in Suit No. SC/CV/1176/2024 (Rivers State House of Assembly & Others vs. Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) & Nine Others), where the apex court unequivocally ruled that any local government election conducted in violation of the Electoral Act is unconstitutional, null, and void”.
he argued that contrary to the NBA’s assertions, the Sole Administrator has consistently reaffirmed his commitment to: “Restoring democratic institutions as soon as practicable, upholding the constitutional rights of all residents, including freedom of movement, speech, and association and respecting judicial pronouncements, including those of the Supreme Court, which have guided the administration’s actions”.
He accused the NBA of being partisan “NBA, as a body of legal minds, should know better than to reduce a complex constitutional matter to political sensationalism”.
The statement added that “Rather than contributing to unnecessary tension, we expect the NBA as a critical stakeholder in Nigeria’s democracy to engage constructively, offering solutions instead of amplifying divisive narratives”, urging the NBA to support his administration in the interest of peace and progress.
