President of the African Public Interest Lawyers Union, Andrew Emwanta, has called on the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to refund the ₦300 million it received from the Rivers State Government for its 2025 Annual General Conference
Emwanta while speaking on Channels Television on Tuesday said refunding the money would protect the integrity and image of the legal profession.
He noted that the gift, although termed “a gesture of support,” has now become controversial due to the political developments in Rivers State and the NBA’s decision to move the conference from Port Harcourt to Enugu.
“There is no proper way to do the wrong thing,” he said. “The proper thing to do, to save the image of our profession, is for that money to be refunded. It’s Rivers taxpayers’ money. If you are not doing business with them, return their money.”
The legal practitioner questioned the NBA’s motivation and urgency in condemning the declaration of emergency rule in Rivers State, which led to the removal of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
“Barely two hours after the broadcast, the NBA condemned the move. I felt that was hasty,” Emwanta said, accusing the body of aligning itself with Fubara’s faction.
“Now that the NBA is refusing to host its conference in Rivers State, what happens to the money already spent on hotel bookings and logistics? The honourable thing to do is to refund the ₦300 million.”
Emwanta also raised concerns about perceived ethnic bias in the NBA’s choice of Enugu as the new conference venue, saying, “Why Enugu? Why not Abuja? There’s now an ethnic reading to this. The NBA President is from Anambra. The profession must protect itself; there is a moral question to it.”
