The Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simeon Amadi, has declined to set up a seven-man panel to investigate allegations of gross misconduct against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, following a request from the State House of Assembly.
Justice Amadi said he was legally restrained from acting on the request due to subsisting interim injunctions issued by a state High Court on January 16, 2026, in separate suits filed by the governor and his deputy.
In a letter dated January 20 and addressed to the Speaker of the House, Martin Amaewhule, the Chief Judge explained that his office had received two separate court orders of interim injunction, which restrain him from receiving, processing, considering, or acting on any impeachment-related request from the Assembly:
“For the avoidance of doubt, paragraph 1 of the said two orders state thus: ‘That an interim injunction is hereby made, restraining the 32nd Defendant, i.e., The Hon. Chief Judge of Rivers State from receiving, forwarding, considering and or howsoever acting on any request, resolution, articles of impeachment or other documents or communication from the 1st-27th and 31st Defendants for the purpose of constituting a panel to investigate the purported allegations of misconduct against the Claimant/Applicant for seven days.’”
He emphasised the supremacy of constitutionalism and the rule of law, noting that all authorities must obey court orders until set aside.
He said he would only act on the requests if the court orders were vacated.
The letter cited the Oyigbo High Court orders, which barred him from receiving, processing, or acting on any impeachment documents, emphasising that similar actions by a Chief Judge in Kwara State had previously been nullified by the Court of Appeal.
“Our hand is fettered,” Justice Amadi wrote, “as there are subsisting interim orders of injunction and pending appeals. I am therefore legally disabled at this point from exercising my duties under Section 188(5) of the Constitution.”
The Rivers State House of Assembly has been in a protracted battle with Governor Fubara, with the latest being the third attempt to impeach him. The standoff stems from a political rift between Fubara and his estranged godfather, now FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, which began six months into the governor’s tenure in 2023.
Following heightened tensions and threats to oil facilities, President Bola Tinubu imposed six months of emergency rule in the state and appointed Rear Admiral Ibok Ete-Ibas (retd.) as Administrator from March to September 2025.
During its first 2026 plenary, lawmakers demanded that Fubara present the 2026 budget for approval and submit names of Commissioner-nominees for screening. The governor, who currently operates with only eight commissioners, has yet to comply.
Rift is internal affair – PANDEF
Meanwhile, the Pan Niger Delta Forum has described the dispute between Fubara and the state Assembly as an “internal family affair,” noting that both the governor and legislators remain part of Wike’s political fold.
PANDEF Chairman Godknows Igali said conflicts within political families are often more complex than disputes with opponents and emphasized that dialogue remains the preferred path to resolution.
Igali disclosed that PANDEF had inaugurated a seven-member Peace and Reconciliation Committee, led by former AGF Chief Kanu Agabi, to mediate the crisis. The committee has engaged with Governor Fubara, Wike, traditional rulers, the Rivers State Council of Elders, and other stakeholders, and plans to meet with the State House of Assembly and APC leadership.
“The FCT Minister met twice with Chief Agabi, showing his disposition towards peace, and the committee has held a three-hour meeting with the governor in Port Harcourt. All parties are cooperating and have been frank,” Igali said.
He stressed that the committee, which includes experienced figures such as former Senator Obende Domingo, former Minister of Housing Essien Nduese, and retired DSS Director Mike Ejiofor, is expected to submit its report within a week.
Igali urged patience from the public, noting that political agreements often encounter challenges during implementation. He warned against portraying Rivers State as a “sick baby” of the nation, emphasizing its strategic importance as a leading oil-producing state in the South-South region and the broader implications of destabilization for national security.
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