Rivers Political Crisis Widens as Chief Judge Declines Panel

The Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Chibuzor Simeon Amadi, has refused to constitute a seven-member panel to probe allegations of gross misconduct levelled against Governor Sim Fubara and his Deputy, Ngozi Ordu.

In a letter dated 20 January 2026 and addressed to the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule, Justice Amadi said two court orders prohibit him from receiving, transmitting or acting on any request to establish such a panel.

He noted that the orders, which were served on his office on 16 January 2026, are still valid and binding.

The Chief Judge stressed that constitutional governance and the rule of law demand strict compliance with existing court orders, regardless of any personal views on their correctness.

He cited judicial authorities and recalled that in a similar matter in 2007, the Chief Judge of Kwara State was faulted for disregarding a restraining order when constituting an investigative panel, a move later nullified by the Court of Appeal.

Justice Amadi further pointed out that the Speaker has already lodged an appeal against the court orders at the Court of Appeal, adding complexity to the legal processes surrounding the allegations.

The lawmakers had requested that Amadi set up a seven-member panel to investigate Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, over allegations bordering on gross misconduct.

This followed the commencement of impeachment proceedings against the governor and his deputy by the assembly.

The impeachment move came shortly after the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, accused the governor of breaching the terms of a peace agreement brokered by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in June last year.

A faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, which backs Fubara, swiftly rejected the impeachment move and called for a political solution to the crisis.

The appeal appeared to gain traction when four lawmakers withdrew from the impeachment process.

The assembly failed to reconvene on 15 January, fuelling speculation that the impeachment effort might be abandoned.

However, on 16 January, the lawmakers announced that the impeachment process would continue as planned, with even the four lawmakers who had earlier withdrawn now reaffirming their support for it.