Rivers NBA chairmen, govt clash over Ibas’ query, statement

Chairmen of the 8 Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) branches successful Rivers State and the authorities authorities person bickered implicit a caller query issued to the Chairman of the NBA Port Harcourt Branch, Mrs. Cordelia Eke, by the Sole Administrator of Rivers State done the Ministry of Justice.

The NBA, successful a associated statement, criticised the State Sole Administrator, Vice-Admiral Ibok Ete-Ibas (rtd), for going against his mandate and the regularisation of instrumentality successful Rivers State.

Angered by the NBA’s position, the Sole Administrator, successful a query that was signed by the Director of Administration, Ministry of Justice, Ebiriemg Deresima, dated April 25, accused Eke of “serious misconduct,” alleging that she co-authored a communique criticising the medication for “severe and brazen acts of lawlessness and impunity,” actions deemed unconstitutional.

The authorities government, successful its statement, claimed Eke’s actions violated the Public Service Rules and were unbecoming of a civilian servant.

However, the NBA president described the query arsenic portion of a broader effort by the Sole Administrator to suppress escaped code and dismantle antiauthoritarian norms nether the guise of maintaining peace.

They reiterated their firmness successful work to uphold the regularisation of instrumentality and vowed not to beryllium silenced successful the look of intimidation.

The NBA subdivision chairmen further described the allegations arsenic an effort to intimidate Mrs. Eke and stifle dissenting voices among ineligible professionals successful the state.

They clarified that Eke did not contented the arguable communique successful her capableness arsenic a civilian servant but alternatively arsenic the elected Chairman of the Port Harcourt Branch, successful enactment with her law mandate wrong the NBA.

The chairmen argued that their corporate statements — including the 1 referenced from April 9 — were issued pursuing ceremonial deliberations wrong the Association, which reflected the presumption of each NBA branches successful the state. They besides noted that their views align with those of the NBA astatine the nationalist level, arsenic articulated by the Association’s President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN.

“The query to our member Chairman is thing but a ploy by which the Sole Administrator seeks to intimidate her into discontinuing her functions and duties arsenic Chairman of NBA Port Harcourt Branch and an effort to intimidate lawyers successful Rivers State and, by extension, different bully radical of Rivers State from lasting up and speaking against enforcement rascality and impunity.

“It indispensable beryllium noted that the main nonsubjective of the Nigerian Bar Association is the promotion of the Rule of Law. Thus, arsenic watchdogs of society, it is our work to talk information to authorization connected behalf of lawyers and the wide nationalist and cannot beryllium intimidated to shy distant from this ineffable responsibility.

“Consequently, we, the Chairmen of NBA Branches successful Rivers State, condemn successful its entirety the query issued to our Brother Chairman of NBA Port Harcourt Branch and request an contiguous withdrawal of same.”

The NBA Chairman said, “We see the issuance of this query to our member Chairman arsenic an unfortunate enactment the Sole Administrator has decided to usage to suppress state of code and law rights of the bully radical of Rivers State against his assorted incidences of dismantling peaceful antiauthoritarian institutions already successful beingness successful Rivers State and different acts and actions susceptible of causing breach of peace, alternatively of maintaining the peace, which was the superior assertion for his assignment arsenic Sole Administrator successful Rivers State. We condemn successful its entirety the query issued to our workfellow and request its contiguous withdrawal.”

The NBA chairmen, successful a connection signed by Dr. Hilda Desmond-Ihekaire, Chairman, Ahoada Branch; Simple Dioha, Chairman, Isiokpo Branch; Abiye Abo, Chairman, Degema Branch; Dr. N. A. Duson, Chairman, Bori Branch; and Dr. Celestine Nwankwo, Chairman, Okehi Branch, reaffirmed their committedness to defy immoderate harassment oregon persecution targeting NBA leadership, lawyers, oregon the wider nationalist successful Rivers State.