The escalating impeachment standoff in Rivers State has been thrust into a legal stalemate after the Chief Judge, Justice Simeon Chibuzor-Amadi, formally declined to constitute a panel to investigate Governor Siminalayi Fubara, stating his hands were “fettered” by court orders.
In a letter to the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Martins Amaehwule, dated January 20, the Chief Judge confirmed receipt of the Assembly’s resolution requesting a seven-man panel to probe allegations of gross misconduct against Fubara and his deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu.
However, Justice Chibuzor-Amadi stated he was legally restrained from acting, as he is a defendant in separate suits filed by the governor and deputy governor at a Rivers State High Court. The court, presided by Justice F. A. Fiberesima, had issued interim injunctions barring the speaker, lawmakers, and the Chief Judge from proceeding with the impeachment process for seven days.
“Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law are the bedrock of democracy,” the Chief Judge wrote, attaching certified copies of the court orders. He warned that ignoring a subsisting court order would desecrate the judiciary, citing a precedent where a similar action by a Chief Judge was voided and condemned by the Court of Appeal.
The legal blockade deepened as the Chief Judge revealed that the Assembly Speaker had already filed an appeal against the interim orders at the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt Division, notices of which were served on his office.
“Given the foregoing, my hand is fettered, as there are subsisting interim orders of injunction and appeal against the said orders. I am therefore legally disabled at this point from exercising my duties under Section 188(5) of the Constitution,” the Chief Judge concluded, urging the lawmakers to “appreciate the legal position.”
The Amaehwule-led Assembly had earlier vowed to proceed with the impeachment, despite defections from some members, insisting it was the constitutional path to resolve the political crisis. Meanwhile, the High Court in Oyigbo has adjourned the substantive suit to January 23, 2026.
The development leaves the impeachment process in a state of suspended animation, pending the outcome of the ongoing court proceedings and appeals, grounding the political conflict firmly within the judicial arena.
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