The impeachment move against Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, has suffered a major setback following the refusal of the state’s Chief Judge to act on the request of the House of Assembly to constitute an investigative panel.
In a letter dated January 20, 2026, the Chief Judge, Justice Chibuzor Simeon Amadi, declined to set up the seven-member panel required under the constitution to probe the allegations of gross misconduct against the governor and his deputy.
Justice Amadi explained that his decision was based on existing court orders restraining him from taking any step in relation to the impeachment process. The injunctions, issued by a Rivers State High Court on January 16, bar him from receiving, forwarding, considering or acting on any impeachment-related correspondence from the Assembly.
The court orders were granted in two separate suits filed by Governor Fubara and his deputy against the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule, and other lawmakers. The orders also restrain the Speaker and officials of the Assembly from transmitting any impeachment notice to the Chief Judge pending the determination of the cases.
The Chief Judge noted that acting in defiance of valid court orders would amount to a breach of the rule of law and could render the entire impeachment process null and void. He further disclosed that the House of Assembly has already appealed the injunctions at the Court of Appeal, indicating that the matter remains under active judicial consideration.
The Rivers State House of Assembly had earlier resolved to commence impeachment proceedings over alleged breaches, including financial and budgetary infractions. However, with the judiciary now directly restraining further action, the impeachment process has been effectively stalled.
The political crisis in the state is expected to remain in the courts until the legal hurdles surrounding the impeachment bid are resolved.
