The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has once again urged President Bola Tinubu to reinstate Governor Siminalayi Fubara without further delay, insisting that his removal is unconstitutional. Last Tuesday, President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, which led to what many Nigerians have criticized as the unlawful suspension of the elected governor, his deputy, and all House of Assembly members amid the state’s political crisis. In Fubara’s place, the President appointed retired naval chief Ibok-Ete Ibas as the state's sole administrator— a move the NBA immediately condemned, arguing that Tinubu lacks the authority to suspend democratically elected officials. Speaking on Sunday Politics on Channels Television, NBA President Afam Osigwe reaffirmed the association’s stance, emphasizing that the constitution does not recognize a sole administrator and that Fubara must be reinstated. “That is our belief, that is what we expect the president to do, to restore him (Fubara) back to power having unconstitutionally removed him,” Osigwe said on the programme when asked if the president should recall the governor. “And that is why we do not recognise that a sole administrator is the rightful person to occupy the government house in Rivers State having been appointed unconstitutionally. “Even when I saw him taking oath of office, I was wondering which oath he was taking because he was taking an oath not known to the constitution, the constitution does not recognise an administrator,” he said. Osigwe argued that the approach to resolving the crisis in Rivers State is misguided, comparing it to using a sledgehammer on one’s head to cure a headache. He described the measures being implemented as excessive, undemocratic, and, most importantly, unconstitutional. According to him, the crisis is purely political and can only be resolved through a political solution.