Rivers Lawmaker Urges NBA To Return ₦300 Million ‘Gift’ From Suspended Governor Fubara.
A member of the House of Representatives from Rivers State, Solomon Bob, has called on the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to refund the sum of ₦300 million it received from suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, describing the payment as improper and a stain on the Association’s credibility.
In a strongly worded statement issued in Abuja on Thursday, Bob argued that the NBA’s claim that the funds were a mere “gift” is unacceptable and unbecoming of what he described as a “self-appointed ombudsman” of the Nigerian democratic space.
He demanded that the money be returned to the coffers of the Rivers State Government, adding that if the NBA fails to comply, it would be incumbent upon the relevant authorities in Port Harcourt to take all necessary steps to recover the funds.
The federal lawmaker also accused the NBA of hypocrisy and compromise, especially in light of the Association’s recent criticism of the proposed declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.
Bob defended the possibility of such a declaration, citing Section 305 of the Nigerian Constitution, which grants the President discretionary powers to take extraordinary measures in times of crisis. He criticised the NBA’s intervention, arguing that the Association has no constitutional authority to determine the appropriateness of such actions.
“The NBA does not possess the jurisdictional competence or ethical credibility to serve as a benchmark for democracy or constitutionalism,” Bob stated.
He further criticised the NBA for failing to uphold internal democratic values, alleging that the Association has been reduced to a cartel serving narrow interests. He referenced the 1992 NBA conference, claiming that elections since then have devolved into mere “coronations” of regional or ethnic figures rather than genuine democratic processes.
“The NBA, which should be a model for democratic engagement, is now unable to conduct credible elections based on universal franchise, free of zoning and manipulation,” he said.
Describing the NBA’s recent statement on the Rivers crisis as a “distraction,” Bob claimed the body had turned a blind eye to what he called “unprecedented lawlessness” under Fubara’s administration.
“Having witnessed Fubara’s dangerous and incomparable incompetence first-hand, and the embarrassment his actions have caused Rivers State, I find the NBA’s position not only arrogant but a gratuitous insult,” he said.
Bob also alleged that the NBA had entered a “sweetheart deal” with Governor Fubara to use the NBA’s Port Harcourt conference as a platform to sanitise his government’s image. He said the Association only admitted to receiving the controversial ₦300 million after the Rivers State Government publicly demanded a refund, exposing what he called the NBA’s concealed pecuniary interests.
He concluded by urging the NBA to uphold the principles it claims to defend by returning the money and distancing itself from any appearance of partisanship or impropriety.
