A member of the House of Representatives, Solomon Bob, has asked the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to return the N300 million paid to it by the Rivers State Government as hosting rights for the association’s 2025 Annual General Conference.
Mr Bob, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) representing Abua/Odual and Ahoada East federal constituency of Rivers State, said this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.
He frowned at NBA’s refusal to return the money after moving the conference from Port Harcourt to Enugu.
The federal lawmaker urged the Rivers Administrator, Ibok-Ete Ibas, to use every constitutional means to retrieve the money from the professional body of lawyers in Nigeria.
The N300 million was reportedly authorised by the suspended governor of Rivers State, Siminilayi Fubara, prior to federal government’s declaration of a state of emergency in the state due to a protracted political crisis.
The crisis pitted Mr Fubara against his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who is now a Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
In March, President Bola Tinubu suspended Mr Fubara and members of the State House of Assembly from office.
The president also appointed Mr Ibas, a retired chief of naval staff, as the sole administrator for the state for an initial period of six months.
The appointment was later ratified by both chambers of the National Assembly in accordance with Section 305(2) of the Nigerian Constitution.
The NBA, however, condemned the emergency declaration and the appointment of Mr Ibas, with the arguement that it was unconstitutional.
The association maintained that President Tinubu lacked the authority to remove an elected governor from office and threatened that it would relocate its annual conference earlier scheduled for Port Harcourt to Enugu State.
In response, Mr Ibas requested that the money paid as hosting rights for the conference should be refunded if NBA insists on relocating the annual conference.
The NBA, however, insisted that it would proceed with relocating its annual conference and would not refund the N300 million because it was a “gift” from the previous administration.
