The Chief Judge of Rivers state, Justice Simeon Amadi has declined to setup a 7-man probe panel to investigate the alleged gross misconduct leveled against the state governor, Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Prof Ngozi Odu.
Recall that the House of Assembly last week had written to the chief judge to set up the panel to independently investigate the governor in accordance with the provision of the 1993 constitution as amended.
But in his response in a letter dated January 20, 2026, and addressed to Martin Amaewhule, speaker of the Rivers House of Assembly, Amadi said his hands were “fettered” by court injunctions.
Amadi said his office had been served with two interim orders on January 16, arising from suits filed by Fubara and Odu.
According to him, the interim orders expressly restrained him from considering or acting on any request, resolution or document relating to impeachment proceedings against the governor or deputy governor.
Amadi said Amaewhule has already lodged an appeal against the interim orders at the court of appeal in Port Harcourt, noting that the notices of appeal were served on his office on January 19 and 20.
“By the doctrine of ‘lis pendens’, parties and the court have to wait for the outcome of the “appeal,” the letter reads.
“In view of 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 in the instant.”
The chief judge asked the Rivers state assembly to be “magnanimous enough to appreciate the legal position of the matter”.
It will be remembered that on January 8, the Rivers state parliament started impeachment proceedings against Fubara and his deputy.
The lawmakers launched the process after Major Jack, leader of the assembly, read gross misconduct charges against Fubara, endorsed by 26 members of the house.
On January 16, the lawmakers voted in favour of a motion requesting the chief judge to probe the gross misconduct allegations against Fubara and his deputy.
The allegations include budgetary impropriety, failure to present the 2026 appropriation bill to the assembly, unauthorized expenditure of public funds, withholding of statutory allocations to the legislature, and other acts deemed to constitute gross misconduct.
On last week, a high court in Port Harcourt issued an interim order restraining the chief judge from receiving or acting on any impeachment notice against Fubara and Odu.
Court restrains Rivers chief judge from receiving impeachment notice aga…
Bolanle Olabimtan
A high court in Port Harcourt has issued an interim order restraining the chief judge of Rivers from…
Florence Fiberesima, the presiding judge, barred the chief judge from “receiving, forwarding, considering, or acting on any request, resolution, or articles of impeachment” submitted by members of the Rivers state house of assembly.
Meanwhile, a source close to the chief judge disclosed that he was under intense pressure by some powerful forces in Abuja are ensure that he sets to setup the panel or be replaced to investigate the sins of the governor and his deputy Odu.
“The press from both camps is huge”, he said, adding that while the governor’s people will not want the panel to be set up, those on other side want the CJ to quickly setup the panel probe replaced.
“The pressure is intense and they have threatened him that if he does no probe the governor, then they will replace him as Rivers State chief judge. But I can tell you that the CJ is not afraid of anybody because his hands are clean”.