Nigerian lawmaker Solomon Bob has urged the NBA to return ₦300 million received from Rivers State after moving its 2025 conference to Enugu. He accused the association of hypocrisy and financial bias amid a political crisis. The NBA claims the funds were a gift, not payment for hosting rights.
A federal lawmaker has called on the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to return ₦300 million it received from the Rivers State government, escalating tensions between legal and political institutions amid the state’s ongoing constitutional crisis.
Rep. Solomon Bob, who represents Abua/Odual and Ahoada East in the House of Representatives, accused the NBA of “hypocrisy and insincerity” over its decision to relocate its 2025 Annual General Conference from Port Harcourt to Enugu. The NBA cited alleged constitutional violations following the imposition of emergency rule in Rivers as the reason for the move.
Bob, a vocal critic of the NBA’s intervention, challenged the association’s ethical standing, alleging its actions were financially motivated. “The NBA cannot posture as a defender of constitutionalism while holding onto money from a government it claims is illegitimate,” he said in a statement Thursday.
The ₦300 million in question was reportedly given by the Rivers State government to support the hosting of the NBA’s annual conference. After the NBA announced the venue change, the Rivers government—now overseen by a sole administrator appointed by the presidency—requested a refund, arguing that integrity demands consistency.
In response, the NBA maintained that the funds were a “gift,” not payment for hosting rights, and therefore not refundable. But Bob insists otherwise, urging the state to pursue legal remedies to recover the money.
This dispute comes at a politically sensitive time. President Bola Tinubu’s emergency rule suspended key state officials, including Governor Siminalayi Fubara, citing a prolonged governance breakdown and threats to critical infrastructure.
Bob also accused the NBA of selective silence during the peak of Rivers’ political crisis, questioning why the association failed to speak out when constitutional breaches allegedly began under the previous administration.
As legal experts weigh in on whether the NBA is obligated to return the money, the situation raises broader questions about the intersection of governance, ethics, and institutional trust in Nigeria’s democracy. No official court filing has yet been made, but analysts say litigation could test the legal standing of "donations" made in politically turbulent contexts.
The NBA has not issued further comment following Bob’s remarks, and it remains unclear whether reconciliation or litigation will resolve the standoff.
