The Nigerian Bar Asso­ciation (NBA) has insisted it cannot refund ₦300 million paid by former Governor Siminalayi Fubara to support the hosting of its 2025 Annual General Conference, in Rivers State.

Naija News reported that Rivers State’s Sole Administrator, Vice Admi­ral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (rtd), demanded a refund of the money since the NBA cancelled hosting the event in the state.

The NBA cancelled its 2025 Annual General Conference (AGC) in Rivers State in protest of President Bola Tinubu’s suspension of Fubara and appointment of Ibas.

A report released on Friday following the NBA’s National Executive Council Meeting in Ilorin, noted that Fubara’s donation was not in­tended to secure hosting rights for the later shifted Annual General Conference.

NBA President, Afam Osigwe, said the body cannot support the unconstitutional act of the President by hosting the conference in Port Harcourt.

“The National Executive Committee’s consultation revealed that the majority of lawyers/colleagues strongly desired that the NBA re­locate the Conference from Rivers State to another venue.

“The majority opinion was that the Conference should not be held in a state governed by a Sole Administrator. 

“Because the NBA does not recognise the unconstitutional suspension of a democratically elected govern­ment and the appointment of a Sole Administrator, the NBA can­not properly request venue and other logistical support from the Administrator,” it read.

According to Daily Independent, the report further said there was no justification for the call to refund the ₦300 Million support from Governor Fubara.

It added,  “The decision to hold the 2025 Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt is deemed unjus­tifiable due to ongoing protests and demands by lawyers. We cannot demand a refund of ₦300 Million paid by the Rivers State Government for ‘Conference Hosting Rights for the 2025, An­nual General Conference’ due to our presence in the city and potential collaboration. This also lends credence to the un­constitutional proclamation of a state of emergency in Rivers State and the appointment of a Sole Administrator to oversee the matter.

“We note that the NBA has taken a principled and legally sound position that appointing an Administrator for Rivers State is unconstitutional. Given this, we cannot in good conscience hold this year’s conference in Rivers State. As a result, we announced that the conference has been re­located to Enugu, a coal city.”