A group of eminent legal practitioners, the Public Interest Lawyers League, has called on the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe and the Chairman, NBA Annual General Conference Organising Committee, Emeka Obegolu to resign over the controversy trailing the N300m paid by the Rivers State Government to the association to host the event.
There have been calls on the Osigwe-led NBA to refund the money allegedly paid to its coffers by the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Mr Siminalayi Fubara.
The association which has since moved the annual conference to Enugu however insisted that the N300m was a gift from the Rivers State Government.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday in Abuja, the President, Public Interest Lawyers League, Abdul Mahmud urged the NBA leadership to save the image of the association by refunding the money without further delay.
According to Mahmud, NBA cannot claim to be a watchdog of public morality while engaging in conduct so thoroughly devoid of the very standards it seeks to impose on others.
He stressed that the insistence of the leadership of the NBA to hold on to the N300m is not only disgraceful but speaks to the organisational rot that has enabled the unaccountable elite class within the NBA to hold out the association as a personal fiefdom rather than as a democratic body of professionals.
Mahmud said, “It is not enough for the NBA to proceed with business as usual. This moment demands accountability, courage and leadership.
“We at PILL therefore demand the immediate resignation of Mr Afam Osigwe as President of the NBA and Mr Emeka Obegolu as Chairman of the Annual General Conference Organizing Committee.
“These resignations are not punitive; they are necessary acts of organisational cleansing. They are the first steps toward the restoration of credibility and trust in the NBA.
“When leaders of professional bodies fail so conspicuously in their duties, they must be held to account. No one is above the law, not even those who claim to represent it.”
PILL also said, “The revelation of this transaction (N300m) did not come from the NBA. It did not come from the leadership of the Bar. It was not disclosed in any financial statement or publication to members. It was not acknowledged by the Chairman of the Annual General Conference Planning Committee.
“It came from the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, who, in an explosive public declaration, unveiled this dark secret to a shocked nation.
“Let that sink in. The NBA, an association of legal practitioners, sworn to uphold justice, transparency, and ethics, collected N300m from a sitting governor and failed to disclose it until they were exposed by an external political appointee.
“This scandal is not only about money. It is about principle. It is about integrity. It is about the soul of the Nigerian Bar Association.”
The group also urged the NBA to “immediately publish a full and audited account of all funds received from public or private entities in relation to the 2025 Annual General Conference.”
Other resolutions include “That the NBA returns the N300m to the Rivers State Government as a gesture of organisational contrition.
“That the NBA Council convenes an emergency General Meeting to discuss the implications of this scandal for the future of the association; and
“That an independent panel composed of past NBA Presidents and credible senior lawyers be set up to recommend reforms to ensure greater transparency and accountability in the NBA’s financial dealings.”
The group vowed not to be silent, saying “We shall mobilise, advocate and litigate, if necessary, to ensure that the rule of law begins from the very body that is meant to defend it.”
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.