Rivers impeachment panel plans hit a legal roadblock after the state’s Chief Judge, Justice Simeon Amadi, declined to set up a probe into Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Nma Odu. He said binding court orders made it impossible for him to act.
Justice Amadi explained his decision in a letter to the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule. He urged lawmakers and all parties involved to respect the rule of law and ongoing judicial processes.
The House of Assembly had, on January 16, invoked Section 188 of the Constitution and requested the Chief Judge to constitute a seven-member Rivers impeachment panel. The request followed the formal launch of impeachment proceedings over alleged gross misconduct against the governor and his deputy.
However, both Fubara and Odu approached the Oyibo Division of the Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt. They each secured interim injunctions restraining the Chief Judge from receiving, considering, or acting on any Assembly request related to the panel.
In his January 20 response, Justice Amadi confirmed receiving both the lawmakers’ request and the court orders. He stated that the injunctions explicitly barred him from taking any step toward constituting a Rivers impeachment panel while the cases remain pending.
The Chief Judge noted that the Assembly has already appealed the interim orders. He explained that under established legal principles, including the doctrine of lis pendens, all parties must maintain the status quo until the appeals are resolved or the suits are finally determined.
Justice Amadi said the existence of the injunctions legally restricts him from performing his constitutional duty under Section 188(5) in this instance. Acting otherwise, he warned, would amount to disobedience of valid court orders.
The decision has heightened political tension in Rivers State but also reaffirmed the judiciary’s central role in safeguarding constitutional order. Legal analysts say the development underscores that impeachment processes, while political, must strictly follow due process and court directives.
For now, the Rivers impeachment panel remains on hold, pending the outcome of the legal challenges before the courts.
