In a strongly worded letter addressed to the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the law firm of Eze Okafor & Co. has formally declared its decision to boycott the forthcoming NBA National Conference scheduled to take place in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, from August 22 to 30, 2025.
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The firm cites the recent declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on March 18, 2025, as the primary reason for its withdrawal.
According to the letter, signed by the firm’s Principal/Head of Practice, Ugo Muofe Aboh, the declaration of emergency has effectively suspended the executive and legislative arms of government in Rivers State, replacing the elected governor and state assembly with a sole administrator appointed by the President. The firm strongly condemned this action, arguing that it is unconstitutional and a direct violation of Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which does not empower the President to suspend a sitting governor or impose a sole administrator through executive fiat.
The letter emphasizes that while Eze Okafor & Co. has actively participated in NBA events as part of its commitment to the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners, the firm cannot in good conscience attend a conference in a state currently under what it describes as “military dictatorship.”
“We cannot subject ourselves to the indignity of being addressed by a sole administrator appointed contrary to constitutional provisions while the democratically elected governor of Rivers State remains illegally suspended,” the firm stated.
The letter also highlighted the personal tragedies suffered by the firm’s Principal Partner, Ugo Muofe Aboh, during previous military regimes. He recounted how he lost his younger brother, Chinedu Okafor, in 1992 under the military rule of General Ibrahim Babangida, when security forces violently suppressed a pro-democracy movement. Additionally, he recalled the loss of his father’s elder brother, Chief Ojukwu Okafor Iwudibie, during the Nigerian Civil War in 1966, under the military regime of General Yakubu Gowon.
“These painful experiences have instilled in me a lifelong fear of the consequences of military rule and undemocratic governance,” Aboh wrote. “As a citizen living under democratic governance in Imo State, I am unwilling to risk my life and safety by attending a conference in a state governed by a military-appointed sole administrator.”
In light of the above, the firm has formally requested that the NBA relocate the conference to a neighboring state that remains under democratic rule, suggesting Imo, Abia, Delta, or Anambra as viable alternatives. The firm assured that it would be the first to attend if the conference is moved to any of these states or another suitable location.
Reaffirming its commitment to the legal profession and the NBA, Eze Okafor & Co. stated that while it will not attend the Port Harcourt conference, it will participate in the upcoming NBA Section on Legal Practice Conference in Jos, Plateau State, from April 24 to 27, 2025.
Citing concerns over fundamental human rights, the letter further stated:
“We have the right to life under Chapter 4 of the Constitution, but during a state of emergency, that right cannot be guaranteed under military sole administratorship, as is currently in place in Rivers State.”
The letter was copied to the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Owerri Branch, as part of efforts to rally legal practitioners against what the firm describes as a “dangerous precedent” for Nigeria’s democracy.
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Eze Okafor & Co. urged the NBA leadership to take a principled stand in defense of constitutional democracy and reconsider the location of the 2025 conference to avoid what it sees as an implicit endorsement of unconstitutional governance.
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