Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has described the recently concluded Nigerian Bar Association’s Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt as a “complete flop,” accusing the association’s leadership of allowing politics to take centre stage.
Wike made the remarks on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, during a media chat in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, while explaining why he did not attend the conference despite it being held in his home state.
The former Rivers State governor said his absence was deliberate, insisting that he does not attend events he considers political jamborees.
“Anybody who knows me knows that I don’t attend something that is a jamboree. I will not attend something where traders are in charge,” Wike said.
He went on to criticise the organisation of the conference, claiming that it failed to meet the standards expected of the NBA’s major annual gathering.
“The NBA has never had that kind of conference since NBA started. It was a complete flop. Organisation was zero,” he said.
According to Wike, the conference should have focused primarily on issues affecting the legal profession and the administration of justice. Instead, he alleged that the organisers turned the gathering into a platform for political activities.
“Instead of you to focus on the real thing the NBA conference was supposed to be, they started playing politics,” he said.
The minister particularly criticised the presence of opposition political figures at the conference, arguing that the event had become a platform for political parties to promote themselves ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“They started having it as a ground for opposition parties to sell themselves,” Wike said.
The 2026 NBA Annual General Conference, held in Port Harcourt under the theme “Beyond Limits,” attracted prominent political figures and other public personalities. Among those who appeared on panels were Peter Obi, Omoyele Sowore, Adewole Adebayo, Donald Duke and former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi.
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