Rivers Crisis: “Restore Fubara Immediately” – NBA Tells Tinubu

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has once again called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately reinstate Governor Siminalayi Fubara as the duly elected governor of Rivers State, describing his recent removal as unconstitutional.

The call comes in the wake of President Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers last Tuesday, followed by what has widely been described as an illegal suspension of the governor, his deputy, and all members of the state House of Assembly. In their place, Tinubu appointed retired naval chief Ibok-Ete Ibas as the state’s sole administrator—a move the NBA insists has no basis in law.

NBA President Afam Osigwe, speaking on *Sunday Politics* on Channels Television, reaffirmed the association’s position, stating that the Nigerian constitution does not recognize a sole administrator in a democratically elected government. Osigwe questioned the legality of Ibas’s oath of office, saying it was based on a framework that does not exist within the constitution.

“The constitution does not recognise an administrator,” Osigwe said, adding that the removal of Governor Fubara amounted to an unconstitutional act that should be reversed immediately. “We expect the president to restore him back to power, having unconstitutionally removed him.”

Osigwe criticized the federal government’s approach to resolving the political crisis in Rivers State, comparing it to using a sledgehammer to treat a headache. He described the measures as “overreaching, extensive, undemocratic, and above all, unconstitutional.”

He emphasized that the crisis in Rivers is a political issue that requires a political solution, not military-style intervention or imposition. On the issue of National Assembly approval, Osigwe dismissed its significance, saying it cannot validate an unconstitutional action. “It is like placing something on nothing,” he said.

The NBA has consistently maintained that Tinubu’s actions set a dangerous precedent and undermine the rule of law, calling for an immediate return to constitutional order in the state.