Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has insisted it cannot refund ₦300 million paid by former Governor Siminalayi Fubara to support the hosting of its 2025 Annual General Conference, in Rivers State.
Rivers State’s Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (rtd), demanded a refund of the money since the NBA cancelled hosting the event in the state.9
The NBA cancelled its 2025 Annual General Conference (AGC) in Rivers State in protest of President Bola Tinubu’s suspension of Fubara and appointment of Ibas.
A report released on Friday following the NBA’s National Executive Council Meeting in Ilorin, noted that Fubara’s donation was not intended to secure hosting rights for the later shifted Annual General Conference.
NBA President, Afam Osigwe, said the body cannot support the unconstitutional act of the President by hosting the conference in Port Harcourt.
“The National Executive Committee’s consultation revealed that the majority of lawyers/colleagues strongly desired that the NBA relocate the Conference from Rivers State to another venue.
“The majority opinion was that the Conference should not be held in a state governed by a Sole Administrator.
“Because the NBA does not recognise the unconstitutional suspension of a democratically elected government and the appointment of a Sole Administrator, the NBA cannot properly request venue and other logistical support from the Administrator,” it read.
According to Daily Independent, the report further said there was no justification for the call to refund the ₦300 Million support from Governor Fubara.
