NBA DEFIES RIVERS ADMINISTRATOR OVER QUERY TO PORT HARCOURT CHAIR
Tensions escalated in Rivers State as the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) branches in the state issued a fiery rebuke of the Sole Administrator’s query against NBA Port Harcourt Chairman Mrs. Eke, calling it a direct attack on civil liberties and constitutional order. The April 25 query, signed by Ministry of Justice official Ebiriemg Deresima, accused Eke of misconduct for co-signing a communiqué that condemned the administration’s “acts of lawlessness and impunity.”
But in a joint statement on Monday, April 29th five NBA branch leaders said Eke acted strictly in her capacity as an elected NBA official—not a civil servant—and was fulfilling her constitutional duty to defend democratic norms. They denounced the query as an effort to muzzle dissent and instill fear among legal professionals daring to question governance in Rivers.
The statement, co-signed by branch heads from Ahoada, Isiokpo, Degema, Bori, and Okehi, said the communiqués—including the April 9 statement referenced in the query—were endorsed through internal deliberations and reflected a united legal front. They accused the administrator of weaponizing the civil service code to silence opposing voices under the guise of order.
“Our colleague’s query is nothing but a thinly veiled threat to silence not just her, but all those who refuse to accept executive overreach as the new norm,” they said. Stressing the NBA’s foundational role as a defender of the rule of law, the chairmen vowed not to retreat from their duty to speak truth to power, adding that the attempt to suppress legal dissent in Rivers State is both dangerous and undemocratic.
