- Rivers chief judge has declined a panel to probe Governor Siminalayi Fubara due to court injunctions
- Rivers Assembly intensified impeachment efforts against Governor Fubara amid ongoing political crisis in the oil-rich state
- Governor Fubara’s party defection has so far failed to improve strained ties with lawmakers and his former boss, Nyesom Wike
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering politics, elections, public affairs, and governance in Nigeria and Africa.
Port Harcourt, Rivers State – Simeon Amadi, chief judge of Rivers, has declined to constitute a judicial panel to probe Siminalayi Fubara, governor of the state, citing a court order.
As reported on Thursday, January 22, by The Cable, the Rivers state house of assembly had asked Amadi to set up a seven-member panel to investigate Fubara and Prof. Ngozi Odu, his deputy, over allegations bordering on gross misconduct.
Source: Twitter
The Punch also noted the development.
In a letter dated Tuesday, January 20, 2026, and addressed to Martins Amaewhule, speaker of the Rivers house of assembly, Amadi said his hands were “fettered” by court injunctions.
Amadi stated that his office had been served with two interim orders on January 16, arising from suits filed by Fubara and Odu.
Rivers judge says no panel
The chief judge noted that 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, the Rivers State capital, noting that the notices of appeal were served on his office on January 19 and 20.
The letter reads:
“By the doctrine of ‘lis pendens’, parties and the court have to await the outcome of the appeal.
“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”.
Source: Facebook
Rivers: Fubara faces renewed impeachment threat
Legit.ng reports that the Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Amaewhule, has intensified its efforts to impeach Governor Fubara and his deputy, Prof. Odu. This marks a renewed, intensive phase in the long-standing political crisis in the state, often described as a battle for control between the governor and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, the incumbent minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Although Governor Fubara recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), a decision he described as a bid to align with President Bola Tinubu’s agenda, the shift has done little to mend ties with the Assembly or Wike.
The defection, announced in December 2025, followed sustained political friction in the state, including the departure of several Assembly members to the APC.
Despite the governor’s assurances that the move was intended to ease tensions and support stability, his relationship with the majority of lawmakers, who have largely remained aligned with Wike, has remained strained.
Read more Rivers State news:
6 Rivers lawmakers defect to APC
Legit.ng earlier reported that 16 Rivers Assembly members announced their defection from the PDP to the APC.
Martin Awaewhule, Speaker of the Assembly, announced the defection during plenary.
Amaewhule also disclosed that he would be joining his colleagues out of the PDP.
Source: Legit.ng
