A civic group, the Centre for Constitutional Watch, CCW, has criticised the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, over what it described as a “muted, convenient reaction”; to the ongoing constitutional crisis in Rivers State.
A statement issued on Saturday and signed by Dr. Hassan Bello, Executive Director of the Centre, said relocating the NBA’s 2025 Annual General Conference from Port Harcourt to Enugu was not a bold enough statement against the “illegal and shameful occupation of power”; in Rivers.
According to the CCW, Nigerians expected the NBA to go beyond changing venues and instead lead a national resistance against “the creeping military democracy that is slowly strangling our Constitution.”;
“You cannot applaud a doctor who simply walks away from a dying patient. By merely relocating their conference, the NBA is walking away from the heart of the crisis. Nigerians expected more. They expected resistance. They expected outrage,”; Kura stated.
“Rivers State is under siege. The courts are silent. The Constitution is being desecrated in broad daylight. Yet, the supposed custodians of the law are making travel plans instead of leading the charge for justice.”;
The CCW demanded more tangible action from the NBA, including the declaration of a one-month boycott of all courts in Nigeria to signal zero tolerance for the “unconstitutional sole administrator model.”;
“This is not the time for cautious statements. The NBA should be declaring a national legal crisis. Their silence in the face of tyranny amounts to complicity,”; the statement added.
“You do not fight dictatorship by changing venue. You fight dictatorship by taking the fight to the courtrooms, the streets, and the national conscience.
“If lawyers retreat from a constitutional battle, who then will stand for Nigeria’s democracy?
“The sole administrator is an aberration. The NBA must pursue this matter to the Supreme Court and lead public interest litigation that nullifies this political atrocity.”;
The CCW called on well-meaning civil society organisations, student groups, and professional bodies to demand more from the NBA, insisting that the rule of law cannot survive if those entrusted with its defence choose convenience over courage.
