The Social Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association, Port Harcourt Branch, Mary S. Dikibo, has formally accused the branch chairman of abuse of power and highhandedness in a statement dated December 17, 2025.
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The controversy centers on the organization of “Praise Day 2025,” an annual event previously approved by the general house to be coordinated by the office of the Social Secretary.
In the statement addressed to learned SANs, seniors, and colleagues, Dikibo disclosed that flyers making the rounds with pictures of the branch chairman and the CLASFON (Christian Lawyers Fellowship of Nigeria) chairman of Port Harcourt were neither created by the Social Committee nor the Executive Committee members.
According to Dikibo, “The chairman has unilaterally constituted a new committee without ratification from the general house, approved for herself payment for the band/artist and published those flyers with total disregard to the views of other members of the Executive Committee.”
The Social Secretary revealed that on December 16, 2025, the chairman unilaterally created another committee without ratification and sought to use them to carry out an event the social committee had already expended time and resources in planning.
“Please note that the general house approved ‘Praise Day’ following the report from the office of the Social Secretary,” Dikibo stated, noting that the event was organized last year by her office in conjunction with the Social Committee and the house graciously approved it as a yearly event under the Social Secretary’s purview.
Dikibo expressed concern over making CLASFON the anchor of the event, describing it as divisive.
“While I do not have an issue with CLASFON, it is divisive to make CLASFON the anchor of the event in view of the fact that it is a branch event and CLASFON is not an arm of the NBA Port Harcourt Branch,” she explained.
She noted that there are other Christian bodies in the branch, including Catholic Lawyers, Anglican Lawyers, and Pentecostals, adding that “some of these other Christian bodies may feel left out if CLASFON is given the sole charge to anchor this event.”
The Social Committee’s approach, according to Dikibo, would be to have all Christian bodies participate in the event.
The Social Secretary further alleged that while issues were still being debated at the EXCO level, the chairman, “in her command style of leadership, blocked the EXCO WhatsApp platform and also proceeded to block the other general members’ WhatsApp groups.”
“These groups have remained blocked thereby stifling free speech of members,” Dikibo stated.
To buttress what she described as the chairman’s highhandedness, Dikibo revealed that sometime in July 2025, the chairman removed Chinwe Omodu Esq., the immediate past secretary, from the EXCO WhatsApp platform because he expressed a dissenting view from hers.
“Since the 15th of July 2025, the Chairman has refused to add him back to the group till date,” she disclosed.
Statement of the Social Secretary December 2025The Social Secretary called on learned SANs, seniors, and colleagues to discountenance any flyers making the rounds until the issue is resolved at the EXCO level.
“In view of the dissent and disagreement amongst the EXCO as stated earlier, it is unlikely that the Praise Day would hold any time soon,” Dikibo concluded.
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