*Passes Vote of Confidence in Chairman, Mrs. Cordelia Uwuma Eke
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The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Port Harcourt Branch, has strongly condemned the issuance of a query to its Chairman, Mrs. Cordelia Uwuma Eke, by agents of the Rivers State Sole Administrator, describing the action as an unconstitutional attempt to silence the Bar’s voice in public discourse.
In a press release issued after its monthly General Meeting held on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, at the NBA Port Harcourt Branch House, the association unanimously passed several resolutions in response to the recent political developments in Rivers State.
The Branch declared its full support for the earlier joint statement by the eight NBA branch chairmen in Rivers State and the position of the NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, which unequivocally condemned the purported declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State. The NBA has described the declaration as unconstitutional and an affront to democratic governance and civil liberties in the state.
Among the key resolutions passed, the branch:
- Adopted the Press Statement issued by the eight NBA Branch Chairmen in Rivers State and the official statement from the NBA President condemning the dismantling of democratic structures in Rivers State;
- Condemned the issuance of a query to its Chairman, Mrs. Cordelia Eke, over her role in signing the statement on behalf of the branch;
- Decried the action as a direct attempt to muzzle the NBA Port Harcourt Branch and undermine its constitutional duty as a societal watchdog;
- Passed a vote of confidence in Mrs. Cordelia Uwuma Eke and the entire Branch Executive Committee, endorsing all actions taken in relation to the state of emergency declaration;
- Called for an immediate withdrawal of the query issued to the Chairman by the Solicitor-General and other agents of the Sole Administrator, affirming that her statement was issued in her official capacity and in line with a valid resolution of the branch.
The statement was signed by Obum D. Nwoye, Esq., the Branch Secretary, and reflects the collective stance of the Port Harcourt Branch Executive Committee, which includes Vice Chairman Emmanuel John, Esq., Financial Secretary Dr. Modupe Babalola, Social Secretary Mary Samuel Dikibo, Esq., Assistant Secretary Francis I-Allagoa, Esq., Publicity Secretary Kelechi Faith Chinule, Esq., Treasurer Nnenda A. Kejeh, Esq., Welfare Secretary David O. Onyema, Esq., and Provost Adums Ezechimenum, Esq.
The query against Eke relates to her signing a press statement, as spokesperson for the eight NBA branches in Rivers State, which condemned the Sole Administrator’s declaration of a state of emergency and the subsequent erosion of democratic institutions. The NBA Port Harcourt Branch sees this as an overreach aimed at stifling the Association’s advocacy for justice and governance.
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The Branch’s stance has garnered support from the Law Officers Association of Nigeria (LOAN), which, on May 1, 2025, directed its 36 state branches and the FCT to display banners backing Eke during Workers’ Day celebrations.
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