By Seyi Odewale
The Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Chibuzor Simeon Amadi, has declined to constitute a seven-member panel to investigate allegations of gross misconduct against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Ordu, citing subsisting court orders restraining him from doing so.
In a letter dated January 20, 2026, and addressed to the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule, Justice Amadi said two interim injunctions served on him on January 16 expressly barred him from receiving, processing or acting on any request to set up an impeachment panel.
The Chief Judge said the orders, issued by a Rivers State High Court, remained valid and binding until set aside by a competent court, stressing that constitutional governance demands strict obedience to court directives by all authorities.
“These orders remain in force, and constitutionalism requires that all persons and institutions respect subsisting court orders, whether or not they agree with them,” Amadi stated.
He also cited a 2007 Court of Appeal precedent involving the Chief Judge of Kwara State, whose decision to constitute a similar panel in defiance of a restraining order was found to be void and condemned by the appellate court.
Meanwhile, Speaker Amaewhule has filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal challenging the interim injunctions, a move that may determine the next phase of the impeachment process against the governor and his deputy.
Despite the legal setback, the Rivers State House of Assembly has insisted that it remains committed to pursuing the impeachment, arguing that its resolution to investigate the allegations of gross misconduct against Fubara and Ordu is backed by constitutional provisions.
The impeachment crisis, which has deepened the long-running political rift between the executive and the legislature in Rivers State, is now effectively stalled, with both sides awaiting the appellate court’s intervention.
