The Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simeon Amadi, has declined a request by the State House of Assembly to constitute a seven-member panel to investigate allegations of gross misconduct against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his Deputy, Ngozi Odu, citing subsisting court orders restraining such action.
In a letter dated January 20, 2026, addressed to the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule, Justice Amadi said he was legally barred from receiving, processing or acting on any request to set up an investigative panel on the matter.
According to the Chief Judge, two separate court orders, served on his office on January 16, 2026, expressly restrained him from taking any steps in furtherance of the Assembly’s request. He noted that the orders remain valid and binding.
Justice Amadi stressed that adherence to constitutionalism and the rule of law demands strict obedience to subsisting court orders by all authorities and persons, regardless of personal views about their propriety or correctness.
He cited judicial precedents to support his position, recalling a similar incident in 2007 in Kwara State where the Chief Judge was faulted for disregarding a restraining court order and proceeding to constitute an investigative panel. That action, he noted, was subsequently nullified by the Court of Appeal.
The Rivers Chief Judge also observed that the Speaker of the House of Assembly has already approached the Court of Appeal to challenge the restraining orders, a development which, he said, further underscores the need for restraint pending the outcome of the appeal.
Justice Amadi’s decision adds a fresh layer to the unfolding political and legal crisis in Rivers State, as the dispute between the executive and the legislature continues to play out in the courts.
Credits: Atlantic Bell