The Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Chibuzor Simeon Amadi, has halted the House of Assembly’s move to investigate Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Ordu, after declining to constitute a seven-member panel requested by lawmakers.
The decision blocks the next step in the Assembly’s action and intensifies the legal standoff between the executive and legislative arms of government in the state.
Court orders bar panel constitution
In a letter dated 20 January 2026 to the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule, Justice Amadi said two court orders expressly restrained him from receiving, processing, or acting on any request to set up a probe panel.
He said the orders were served on his office on 16 January 2026 and remain valid and binding.
The Chief Judge stressed that constitutionalism and the rule of law require strict obedience to subsisting court orders, regardless of personal views on their correctness.
Past precedent cited
Justice Amadi referenced a 2007 case in Kwara State, where the Chief Judge was condemned for ignoring a restraining order and proceeding to set up an investigative panel.
That decision was later voided by the Court of Appeal, reinforcing the legal consequences of acting in defiance of court directives.
Appeal already before Court of Appeal
The Chief Judge also disclosed that the Speaker has filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal challenging the restraining orders, adding another layer to the ongoing legal proceedings around the allegations.
The development marks a fresh escalation in the Rivers political crisis, with the impeachment process now firmly tied up in the courts.
