The Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Chibuzor Simeon Amadi, has refused to constitute a seven-member investigative panel to probe allegations of gross misconduct leveled against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his Deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu.
In a letter dated January 20, 2026, addressed to the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule, Justice Amadi stated that he is bound by two subsisting court orders restraining him from receiving, forwarding, considering, or acting on any request to form such a panel.
The orders, issued by a Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt (and Oyigbo), were served on the Chief Judge’s office on January 16, 2026, and remain in force. The interim injunctions, granted for an initial period including seven days in one instance, barred the Chief Judge from proceeding with any impeachment-related actions following a resolution by the Assembly.
Justice Amadi emphasized the primacy of constitutionalism and the rule of law, insisting that all authorities must obey valid subsisting court orders regardless of views on their merit or validity. He cited a 2007 precedent from Kwara State, where the Court of Appeal voided an investigative panel established in defiance of a restraining order against the then Chief Judge.
The Chief Judge further noted that the Speaker has already appealed the restraining orders to the Court of Appeal, adding complexity to the escalating legal battle surrounding the impeachment bid.
The development stems from the Rivers State House of Assembly’s recent move, led by Speaker Amaewhule, to initiate impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara and Deputy Odu over allegations of gross misconduct. The Assembly formally requested the Chief Judge on January 16, 2026, to set up the mandatory seven-member panel in line with Section 188(5) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
However, the court interventions have halted progress, with the Assembly acknowledging receipt of the orders but insisting in some statements that the Chief Judge had initially acknowledged their request before the restraints took full effect.
