Eight chairmen of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) branches in Rivers State have issued a firm condemnation of a query directed at the Chairman of the Port Harcourt Branch, Cordelia Eke, by the state’s Sole Administrator via the Ministry of Justice.
The query, dated April 25 and signed by Director of Administration Ebiriemg Deresima, accused Eke of “serious misconduct” for co-authoring a communique that criticized the administrator’s government for “severe and brazen acts of lawlessness and impunity.” The communique also condemned actions deemed unconstitutional, including dismantling democratic institutions and targeting peaceful protesters.
The government claimed Eke’s actions violated Public Service Rules and were inappropriate for a civil servant.
In a joint press statement on Monday, the NBA branch chairmen described the allegations as an attempt to intimidate Mrs. Eke and stifle dissenting voices among legal professionals in the state. They clarified that Eke did not issue the controversial communique in her capacity as a civil servant, but rather as the elected chairman of the Port Harcourt Branch, in line with her constitutional mandate within the NBA.
The chairmen argued that their collective statements — including the one referenced from April 9th — were issued following formal deliberations within the association and reflected the position of all NBA branches in the state.
They also noted that their views align with those of the NBA at the national level, as articulated by the Association’s President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN.
The NBA chairmen further criticised the query as part of a broader effort by the Sole Administrator to suppress free speech and dismantle democratic norms under the guise of maintaining peace. They asserted their duty to uphold the rule of law and vowed not to be silenced in the face of intimidation.
“The query to our brother Chairman is nothing but a ploy by which the Sole Administrator seeks to intimidate her into discontinuing her functions and duties as Chairman of NBA Port Harcourt Branch, and an attempt to intimidate lawyers in Rivers State and by extension other good people of Rivers State from standing up and speaking against executive rascality and impunity,” they said.
“It must be noted that the main objective of the Nigerian Bar Association is the promotion of the rule of law thus, as watchdog of the society, it is our duty to speak truth to authority on behalf of lawyers and the general public and cannot be intimidated to shy aware from this sacred responsibility.
“Consequently, we, the Chairmen of NBA Branches in Rivers State, condemn in its entirety the query issued to our Brother Chairman of NBA Port Harcourt Branch and demand an immediate withdrawal of the same.
“We consider the issuance of this query to our brother Chairman as an unfortunate act the Sole Administrator has decided to use to suppress freedom of speech and constitutional rights of the good people of Rivers State against his various incidences of dismantling of peaceful democratic institutions already in existence in Rivers State and other acts and actions capable of causing breach of peace instead of maintaining the peace which was the primary claim for his appointment as Sole Administrator in Rivers State. We condemn in its entirety the query issued to our colleague and demand its immediate withdrawal,” the chairmen stated.
The statement was signed by NBA branch heads including Dr. Hilda Desmond-Ihekaire (Ahoada), Simple Dioha (Isiokpo), Abiye Abo (Degema), Dr. N. A. Duson (Bori), and Dr. Celestine Nwankwo (Okehi), among others. They demanded the immediate withdrawal of the query and pledged resistance to any further attempts to harass NBA leadership or citizens in Rivers State.
What you should know
NBA leaders in Rivers State are defending their colleague Cordelia Eke against a government query over her involvement in a communique criticizing alleged abuses of power. They insist she acted lawfully in her role as NBA chair and vowed to uphold the rule of law despite government pressure.
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