The Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simeon Amadi, has declined the State House of Assembly’s request to constitute a judicial panel to investigate Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, citing subsisting court orders.
Justice Amadi, in a letter dated January 20, 2026, to the Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, said his hands were legally tied by interim injunctions restraining him from acting on any impeachment-related request.
He explained that his office was served with two court orders on January 16 following separate suits filed by Governor Fubara and Deputy Governor Odu, barring him from considering or acting on resolutions connected to their impeachment.
The Chief Judge noted that the Speaker had already appealed the injunctions at the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt, with notices of appeal served on January 19 and 20.
Citing the doctrine of lis pendens, Amadi said all parties must await the outcome of the appeal, stressing that the injunctions and pending litigation had effectively disabled him from exercising his constitutional duties under Section 188(5).
He urged lawmakers to appreciate the prevailing legal constraints surrounding the matter.
