Reps member slams NBA over conference fund, wants N300m returned to Rivers

A federal lawmaker representing Rivers State, Hon. Solomon Bob has launched a blistering attack on the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), accusing the body of hypocrisy, political bias, and backroom dealings with the embattled Rivers State Government.

Reacting to the NBA’s scathing criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, Hon. Bob on Thursday described the association as a “morally bankrupt, self-appointed praetorian guard” that has long abandoned its founding principles in pursuit of vested interests.

“The NBA’s reaction is not only hypocritical, it is steeped in misguided praetorian pretensions and institutional dishonesty,” Bob declared in a strongly worded statement. “It has become a cabal cloaked in legal jargon, spewing political propaganda under the guise of constitutional advocacy.”

The political landscape in Rivers has grown increasingly volatile in recent weeks, with renewed threats of impeachment against Governor Siminalayi Fubara by the Martin Amaewhule-led faction of the State Assembly, widely seen as loyal to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike. The crisis boiled over with reports of sabotage targeting oil installations and mounting fears of a descent into anarchy.

In response to the chaos, President Tinubu declared a state of emergency on March 18, citing security concerns and threats to national assets. The National Assembly swiftly approved the measure, invoking Section 305 of the Constitution. But the NBA, in a widely circulated statement, condemned the action as unconstitutional and an overreach of executive power.

Hon. Bob, however, was unsparing in his rebuttal. “The NBA cannot dictate to the President or revise the Constitution to suit its political whims. Section 305 is clear, and its invocation is the exclusive preserve of the President not a debating club masquerading as a legal watchdog,” he thundered.

In a stunning twist, the lawmaker accused the NBA of entangling itself in a shady alliance with Governor Fubara’s administration, suggesting the association’s opposition to the emergency declaration was fueled not by legal principle, but by financial patronage.

“Let us be clear: the NBA is compromised,” Bob declared. “It entered into a quid pro quo arrangement with Governor Fubara and planned to use its upcoming Port Harcourt conference as a smokescreen to whitewash the most rudderless and disgraceful administration in the history of our state.”

According to Bob, the NBA only admitted to receiving a staggering N300 million from the Rivers government after public pressure and outrage forced the disclosure. He mocked the NBA’s characterization of the money as a “gift,” describing the explanation as an insult to Nigerians and a stain on the association’s credibility.

“What kind of watchdog accepts hush money and calls it a gift? That’s not advocacy that’s collusion,” Bob said. “If the NBA still retains any shred of integrity, it should return the funds immediately. If not, the Port Harcourt authorities must move swiftly to recover what is rightfully public money.”

He slammed the NBA’s leadership, alleging it had long lost the moral compass to speak on matters of justice or democracy, citing decades of questionable internal elections and a track record of selective activism.

“Rather than call out Governor Fubara’s brazen incompetence, the NBA chose to look the other way, until it got caught red-handed,” Bob said. “Its silence in the face of Fubara’s recklessness is complicity, pure and simple.”