NBA Rivers Chairmen have rejected a controversial question issued to the Port Harcourt department chief. The total story exposes tensions, accusations, and daring reactions.
The authorized group in Rivers State has been thrown right into a state of agitation following a controversial question issued to the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Affiliation (NBA), Port Harcourt Department, Cordelia Eke. The question, signed by the Director of Administration on the Rivers State Ministry of Justice, Ebiriemg Deresima, and dated April 25, has sparked outrage amongst legal professionals who see it as a calculated try and suppress the voice of the NBA and intimidate its management.
Eke was accused of “severe misconduct” for allegedly co-authoring a communique that condemned the Rivers State administration for what it described as “extreme and brazen acts of lawlessness and impunity.” The communique had particularly criticised the federal government’s actions, together with the dismantling of democratic establishments and assaults on peaceable protesters. In keeping with the Ministry, her conduct contravened the Public Service Guidelines and was thought of unbecoming of a civil servant.
Nevertheless, the backlash was swift and unequivocal.
In a strongly worded joint press assertion issued on Monday, the chairmen of eight NBA branches throughout Rivers State rejected the question and described the allegations in opposition to Eke as baseless, vindictive, and politically motivated. They maintained that the communique in query was not authored by Eke in her capability as a civil servant however in her legit function because the elected Chairman of the NBA Port Harcourt Department—a place that empowers her to talk on issues affecting the rule of legislation and democratic governance.
The assertion was signed by notable authorized figures, together with Dr. Hilda Desmond-Ihekaire (Ahoada Department), Easy Dioha, Esq. (Isiokpo Department), Abiye Abo, Esq. (Degema Department), Dr. N. A. Duson (Bori Department), and Dr. Celestine Nwankwo (Okehi Department), amongst others.
In keeping with them, the communique dated April 9 was the result of formal and collective deliberations by all NBA branches within the state and displays the official place of the affiliation at each state and nationwide ranges. They cited that the President of the NBA, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, had beforehand echoed comparable sentiments, additional debunking the notion that the communique was a private or remoted assertion by Eke.
They argued that the question is a part of a wider marketing campaign by the Sole Administrator to gag the authorized group and suppress freedom of speech in Rivers State. “The question to our brother Chairman is nothing however a ploy by which the Sole Administrator seeks to intimidate her into discontinuing her capabilities and duties as Chairman of NBA Port Harcourt Department,” the assertion mentioned.
In addition they warned that such techniques usually are not solely unconstitutional however harmful, as they aim voices which are constitutionally mandated to talk reality to energy. “We think about the issuance of this question as an unlucky act by the Sole Administrator to suppress the constitutional rights of Rivers folks. This motion, if left unchallenged, may encourage additional govt recklessness and erode the foundational rules of democracy and justice,” they added.
The assertion went additional to spotlight the function of the NBA because the watchdog of society. “The principle goal of the Nigerian Bar Affiliation is the promotion of the rule of legislation. As such, we’ve got a sacred obligation to talk reality to authority and can’t be intimidated into abandoning this accountability,” the assertion learn.
The chairmen reaffirmed their dedication to withstand any type of persecution focused at NBA members or the broader public. They known as on the Rivers State authorities to instantly withdraw the question and desist from future actions that undermine the integrity and independence of the authorized occupation.
This growth provides gas to the already tense ambiance in Rivers State, the place political and authorized establishments are more and more at odds with the appointed Sole Administrator, whose legitimacy and strategies have come beneath scrutiny in current instances.
Because the NBA stands agency, all eyes are actually on the Rivers State Authorities—whether or not it would escalate the standoff or heed the authorized group’s name for restraint and constitutional order.
