NBA Demands Immediate Reinstatement of Governor Fubara

 

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has once again called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately restore Governor Siminalayi Fubara to his elected position, declaring his removal unconstitutional.

The demand comes after President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State last Tuesday, suspending the elected governor, his deputy, and the state House of Assembly members amid the ongoing political crisis. In their place, Ibok-Ete Ibas, a retired naval chief, was appointed as Sole Administrator—a move that has sparked intense legal and political debate.

The NBA swiftly condemned the President’s intervention, asserting that Tinubu lacks the power to suspend a democratically elected governor. Speaking on the matter, NBA President Afam Osigwe emphasized that the Nigerian Constitution does not recognize a Sole Administrator in state governance.

“That is our belief, that is what we expect the President to do—to restore him (Fubara) back to power, having unconstitutionally removed him,” Osigwe stated during an interview on Channels Television on Sunday, March 23.

“Even when I saw him (Ibas) taking the oath of office, I was wondering which oath he was taking because he was taking an oath not known to the Constitution. The Constitution does not recognize an administrator.”

Osigwe likened the approach taken in Rivers State to “using a sledgehammer on one’s head to cure a headache.” He described the measures as “overreaching, excessive, undemocratic, and unconstitutional.”

“The problem in Rivers State is political, and only a political solution will bring it to an end,” he said.

Osigwe also dismissed the National Assembly’s approval of the President’s actions, arguing that their endorsement does not make the move constitutional.

“The National Assembly’s approval is like placing something on nothing. It does not legitimize an unconstitutional action.”

As tensions rise over the future of Rivers State leadership, the NBA and legal experts insist that the rule of law must prevail. The key question remains: Will President Tinubu reconsider his decision, or will the legal battle escalate?