Adeyanju backs NBA’s move to dump Rivers over governance concerns, says conference venues not determined by financial support
By Ukpono Ukpong
Legal practitioner and human rights activist, Barrister Deji Adeyanju, has dismissed claims that financial contributions from the Rivers State Government had any bearing on the Nigerian Bar Association’s (NBA) decision to relocate its 2025 Annual General Conference (AGC) from Port Harcourt to Enugu.
Reacting to a statement reportedly issued by the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd), who accused the NBA of hypocrisy, Adeyanju clarified that the NBA “neither requested for nor received any money” from the current Rivers administration.
This is as he also called on the NBA to stay firm in the face of political blackmail.
“I have read with concern the statement circulating on social media purportedly issued by the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd), in which he accuses the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) of hypocrisy over its decision to relocate the 2025 Annual General Conference (AGC) from Port Harcourt to Enugu,” Adeyanju stated.
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“As a member of the legal profession and a stakeholder in the affairs of the NBA, I find it necessary to respond, both in defence of the Bar and to urge the NBA to stand firm in the face of political pressure and constitutional subversion.”
He rejected the notion of any “hosting rights” attributed to Port Harcourt, describing the concept as alien to NBA procedures.
Adeyanju insisted that hosting privileges are not entitlements but are based solely on logistical considerations.
“There has never been any formal bidding process or contractual commitment that accords a state perpetual or presumptive rights to host the AGC.
“The choice of venue is a discretionary decision of the NBA National Executive Committee, made after careful evaluation of infrastructure, logistics, security, accessibility, and the general atmosphere conducive to the hosting of a national event of the NBA’s stature,” he clarified.
Responding directly to claims that Rivers State’s financial support had influenced past NBA conferences, Adeyanju stressed that financial contributions do not determine where the NBA holds its events.
“The NBA is an independent professional association, not a mercantile contractor. Its commitment to national service and legal development can not be bought or sold.”
“The 2023 AGC held in Abuja was conducted without any financial contribution from the FCT Administration. The suggestion that states can buy influence or secure hosting rights by donations is a dangerous insinuation that undermines the integrity of the legal profession.”
He further contextualised the N300 million reportedly contributed by the Rivers State Government, noting that it was done under a democratically elected administration.
“The situation has since changed. Rivers State is currently under a governance arrangement that is widely viewed as unconstitutional and antithetical to the rule of law.
“As lawyers, we can not turn a blind eye to the erosion of constitutionalism in any part of this country. The NBA, in line with its duty to uphold the rule of law and democratic governance, made the morally and constitutionally right decision to withdraw from an engagement that could be interpreted as legitimising autocracy.”
Adeyanju however, warned against attempts to bully or gaslight the NBA into reversing its stance.
“We must remind ourselves that the NBA’s credibility rests not in how many funds it collects from governments, but in its ability to stand as the voice of the Constitution, even when it is inconvenient to do so.”
Furthermore, he described any effort to weaponise public sentiment against the NBA as a distraction from the real issue, which is the imposition of undemocratic governance in Rivers State.
Commending the NBA for relocating the AGC, Adeyanju urged the association to “stay the course” and resist any attempt to sanitise unconstitutional leadership.
“The NBA has always been more than a convener of conferences; it is a bulwark against tyranny and arbitrariness.”
Meanwhile, he sent a message of solidarity to lawyers in Rivers State, saying, “This is not a repudiation of the people or lawyers of Rivers State—who remain our colleagues and brothers—but a rejection of unconstitutional governance. And it is a stand we must continue to take, with resolve and without apology.
“We are lawyers. We are defenders of the rule of law. And we must not retreat,” he declared.
