The Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simeon Amadi, has declined a request by the Rivers State House of Assembly to set up a judicial panel to investigate Governor Siminalayi Fubara, citing a court order and a pending appeal.
The state legislature had requested that Justice Amadi set up a seven-member panel to probe Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, over allegations of gross misconduct.
According to reports, the position of the Chief Judge is contained in a letter dated January 20 and addressed to the Speaker of the House, Martins Amaewhule, citing two court orders barring him from receiving, forwarding, or considering any requests to form such a panel.
The judge stated that the two separate orders were served on his office on January 16, 2026 and remain in force.
The requests were made pursuant to Sections 188(4) and 188(5) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), following resolutions of the House to initiate impeachment proceedings against the governor and his deputy.
What the Rivers State Chief Judge is saying
The chief judge emphasised that constitutionalism and the rule of law require all authorities to obey subsisting court orders, irrespective of their perception of the orders’ validity.
He referenced legal precedents, noting that in a similar case in 2007, the Chief Judge of Kwara State was condemned for ignoring a restraining court order when setting up an investigative panel, a decision later voided by the Court of Appeal.
Justice Amadi observed that the Speaker has already filed an appeal against the court orders at the Court of Appeal, adding another layer to the ongoing legal proceedings surrounding the allegations.
The letter partly reads, “By the doctrine of ‘lis pendens’, parties and the court have to await the outcome of the appeal.
“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.’’
According to the Chief Judge, the Assembly’s requests were accompanied by extensive documentation, including copies of the notice of allegations of gross misconduct, the Rivers State Impeachment Panel (Conduct of Investigations) Procedure, 2025, and relevant newspaper publications.
The chief judge appealed to the lawmakers to recognise the legal constraints surrounding the matter.
Justice Amadi, therefore, urged the state assembly to be “magnanimous enough to appreciate the legal position of the matter.”
What you should know
Recall that on January 8, 2026, the Rivers House of Assembly served an impeachment notice on Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his Deputy, Ngọzi Odu, over alleged gross misconduct.
This is the third attempt by the Rivers assembly to impeach Governor Fubara since he got into office in 2023 amid a feud and political battle between him and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now the FCT minister.
The motion was sponsored by the Deputy Speaker, Dumle Maol, and Minority Leader, Sylvanus Nwankwo, representing Omuma State Constituency. The motion was adopted by Amaehwule, after which he sent an impeachment notice to the governor and deputy.
