Rivers Chief Judge Declines Request to Probe Fubara

The Chief Judge of Rivers State, Simeon Amadi, has declined to constitute a judicial panel to investigate Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, citing subsisting court orders restraining him from taking such action.

The Rivers State House of Assembly had formally requested the chief judge to set up a seven-member panel to probe the governor and his deputy over allegations of gross misconduct.

However, in a letter dated January 20, 2026, and addressed to the Speaker of the House, Martin Amaewhule, Amadi explained that he was legally barred from acting on the request.

In the letter, the chief judge disclosed that his office was served with two interim injunctions on January 16, arising from separate suits filed by Fubara and Odu.

He said the court orders expressly restrained him from considering, receiving or acting on any request or resolution connected to impeachment proceedings against the governor or his deputy.

Amadi further noted that the speaker had already filed appeals against the interim orders at the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt, with notices of appeal served on his office on January 19 and 20. He said the doctrine of lis pendens required all parties, including the court, to await the outcome of the appeal before taking further steps.

In view of the pending appeals and existing injunctions, the chief judge said he was legally disabled from exercising his constitutional duties under Section 188(5) of the Constitution in relation to the impeachment process.

He appealed to the lawmakers to appreciate the legal constraints surrounding the matter.

“By the doctrine of ‘lis pendens’, parties and the court have to await the outcome of the appeal,” the letter reads.

“In view of the foregoing, my hand is fettered, as there are subsisting interim orders of injunction and appeal against the said orders. I am therefore legally disabled at this point from exercising my duties under Section 188(5) of the Constitution in the instant.”

The Rivers State House of Assembly had, on January 8, initiated impeachment proceedings against Fubara and Odu. The process followed the reading of allegations of gross misconduct against the governor by the assembly leader, Major Jack, with the charges reportedly endorsed by 26 lawmakers.

The legal battle has further complicated the impeachment process, placing it on hold pending the outcome of appeals before the appellate court.