The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, says a recent Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) conference was a “flop,” adding that the NBA’s leadership is more focused on politics than on issues affecting the legal profession.

Wike makes the remarks during a media chat in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. He questions what legacy the current NBA president will leave, and says he previously told her why he did not support her candidacy. He also criticizes the conference’s choice to invite a former governor, whom he accuses of chaining and locking up courts in the state for nearly two years.

Across the reports, the core points match: Wike’s characterisation of the conference as poorly handled, his claim that NBA leadership is prioritising political considerations, and his questions about the president’s legacy and the event’s guest decision. The outlets mainly differ in how much detail they include about his earlier statement on candidacy and his broader remarks about achievements under President Bola Tinubu in the FCT, which he presents as a comparison to previous administrations.