The controversy surrounding the Imo State Government’s ₦350 million financial intervention to the 6 branches of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) appears to be spreading, as fresh reports indicate that members of the NBA Mbano/Etiti Branch have initiated moves to remove their Chairman, Chief K. C. Nwokorie, over alleged unilateral expenditure of part of the ₦50 million received from the State Government.
The development comes against the backdrop of the ongoing leadership crisis in NBA Owerri, where the management of a separate ₦100 million allocation has generated allegations, investigations, impeachment proceedings and litigation.
Information supplied to this publication indicates that the Mbano/Etiti dispute centres on the ₦15 million balance remaining after 35 conference delegates received ₦1million each.
According to sources familiar with the developments, the branch received ₦50 million from Governor Hope Uzodimma’s administration in connection with the 2026 NBA Annual General Conference.
Thirty-five members reportedly registered for the conference, following which the conferees agreed that each beneficiary should receive ₦1 million, amounting to ₦35 million.
The remaining ₦15 million was reportedly reserved for the administration and developmental needs of the branch.
However, disagreement subsequently arose over who should determine how the balance would be spent.
At the branch’s Monthly General Meeting held on 10 September 2026, a respected senior member, Chief B. E. A. Ebearo, described as the Cock of the Bar, reportedly advised that a committee be constituted to oversee the utilisation of the remaining funds.
The proposed committee was expected to identify and supervise priority projects, particularly the landscaping of the branch’s Bar Centre and other necessary improvements.
Sources alleged that Chairman K. C. Nwokorie rejected the suggestion, insisting that his Executive Committee would handle the projects.
The Chairman’s position reportedly met opposition from a majority of members present, who preferred a specially constituted committee to supervise the expenditure.
The disagreement reportedly resurfaced at the branch’s next Monthly General Meeting on 10 October 2026.
Members were said to have discovered that the Chairman had already commenced certain projects and procured materials, notwithstanding the earlier objections to his proposed method of handling the funds.
Among the items reportedly mentioned by Nwokorie were a generator, a water tank and other materials connected with the branch’s improvement projects.
The developments allegedly provoked dissatisfaction among members who questioned whether the expenditure had received the requisite authorisation.
A senior lawyer, Marcel Ogwuegbu, a retired official of the Imo State Ministry of Justice, reportedly challenged the Chairman over his failure to adopt the earlier suggestion that an independent committee supervise the projects.
According to the account provided to this publication, Nwokorie maintained his position that the Executive Committee could proceed with the work.
He reportedly indicated that he was not obliged to disclose every operational decision to members beforehand and would render an account upon completion of the projects.
That response is said to have further deepened the disagreement.
The central grievance, according to the dissatisfied members, is not necessarily the desirability of improving the Bar Centre but whether the Chairman and his Executive Committee could commit branch funds to those projects without the approval process sought by members.
The disagreement has reportedly culminated in a formal motion seeking the impeachment and removal of Chairman K. C. Nwokorie.
Sources disclosed that the motion was filed and served on the Branch Secretary, Ifeanyi Chukwuocha, on Thursday, 22 October 2026.
The development potentially sets the stage for another confrontation over the leadership of an NBA branch in Imo State.
The next Monthly General Meeting of NBA Mbano/Etiti is scheduled for Saturday, 14 November 2026, when the dispute may come up for consideration, subject to the branch’s applicable procedures.
The Mbano/Etiti developments bear similarities to the unfolding crisis in NBA Owerri.
In both branches, the disagreement reportedly concerns the application of funds provided by the Imo State Government and the extent to which branch executives must obtain members’ approval before undertaking expenditure.
In Owerri, the controversy has already attracted the intervention of the NBA national leadership and proceedings before both the Imo State High Court and the Federal High Court.
Whether Mbano/Etiti will follow a similar trajectory remains uncertain.
The emerging disputes raise broader questions about financial governance within professional associations, particularly where substantial government funds are released to their branches.
Who determines the expenditure priorities? What approvals are required? And at what stage must elected officials account to the members whose interests they represent?
As NBA Owerri continues to grapple with its ₦100 million controversy, the developing situation in Mbano/Etiti suggests that questions surrounding the government’s financial intervention may not be confined to one branch.
All eyes are now on 14 November 2026, when NBA Mbano/Etiti members are expected to meet again.
Whether the disagreement will be resolved internally or develop into another full-blown leadership battle remains to be seen.
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