Fubara: Rivers CJ rejects Assembly’s request to constitute impeachment panel

Rivers State Chief Judge (CJ), Justice Simeon  Amadi, has declined a request by the Rivers State House of Assembly to set up impeachment panel to probe the state, the governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and his deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu.

The Rivers CJ, in a letter to the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhula, explained that he cannot set up the seven‑man impeachment panel requested by the House to investigate the Governor and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu.

The Assembly, which had on Friday, 16th January 2026, after initiating impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara and his deputy, requested the State Chief Judge to constitute a seven-man panel to investigate allegations of gross misconduct against the governor and his deputy.

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Justice Amadi, in the letter dated 20 January 2026, acknowledged receipt of the Assembly’s resolution but noted that a subsisting interim injunction from the State High Court (Oyigbo division) “restrains him from receiving, forwarding, considering or acting on any request, resolution, articles of impeachment or other communication” aimed at constituting such a panel.

The Court injunction, granted by Justice F.A. Fiberesima on 16 January, was issued after Governor Fubara and his Deputy Ngozi Odu filed separate suits challenging the impeachment process, alleging improper service of the notice and seeking to preserve the status quo. The order lasts for seven days, with a substantive hearing slated for 23 January 2026.

Justice Amadi also emphasized that, as a judicial officer, he is bound by the rule of law and must obey the court’s directive, referencing a 2007 precedent in Kwara State where a chief judge was later condemned for ignoring a similar restraining order.

The leaked letter also reveals that the Speaker and the Rivers State House of Assembly have already filed an appeal against the High Court’s order, a fact noted in the same correspondence.

Despite the public interest, Speaker Amaewhule has not issued an official statement, and the letter has not been released through government channels, leaving the political tension to play out in the courts.

Stakeholders, including traditional rulers and civil‑society groups, are watching closely as the judiciary’s role becomes central to resolving the standoff.

The outcome of the upcoming hearing could either unlock the impeachment process or halt it indefinitely, shaping Rivers State’s political landscape for months to come.