The Chief Judge of Rivers State, Hon. Justice Simeon C. Amadi, has said he is legally restrained from constituting a seven-member panel to investigate allegations of gross misconduct against Governor Sir Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Nma Odu, citing subsisting court orders.
Justice Amadi disclosed this in a letter dated January 20, 2026, addressed to the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule.
In the letter, the Chief Judge referred to two separate requests from the House of Assembly, both dated January 16, 2026, asking him to appoint seven persons to investigate allegations of gross misconduct against Governor Fubara, pursuant to Section 188(5) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The requests were based on resolutions of the House under Section 188(4) of the Constitution.
Justice Amadi noted that a similar request was made regarding the Deputy Governor, Prof. Ngozi Nma Odu, in the same language and with the same legal effect.
However, the Chief Judge revealed that on the same January 16, 2026, his office was served with two interim orders of injunction issued by the Rivers State High Court in separate suits.
The suits are:
Suit No. OYHC/6/CS/2026 – Prof. Ngozi Nma Odu v. Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule & 32 Ors; and
Suit No. OYHC/7/CS/2026 – Sir Siminalayi Fubara v. Rt. Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule & 32 Ors.
Justice Amadi is listed as the 32nd defendant/respondent in both suits.
Quoting paragraph one of the interim orders, the Chief Judge stated that the court restrained him from “receiving, forwarding, considering and/or howsoever acting on any request, resolution, articles of impeachment or other documents or communication” from the House of Assembly for the purpose of constituting a panel to investigate the allegations of misconduct against the claimants for a period of seven days.
Certified true copies of the court orders were attached to his letter to the Speaker.
Justice Amadi stressed that constitutionalism and the rule of law require strict obedience to court orders, regardless of any personal or institutional perception of their validity.
He emphasized that all persons and authorities are bound to obey subsisting orders of a court of competent jurisdiction.
To support his position, the Chief Judge cited the Court of Appeal decision in Hon. Dele Abiodun v. The Hon. Chief Judge of Kwara State & 3 Ors (2007) 18 NWLR 109–169, where a Chief Judge was faulted for constituting a panel in defiance of a subsisting restraining order.
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In that case, the appellate court warned against actions that undermine the sanctity of the judiciary and the rule of law.
Justice Amadi further disclosed that the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly has since filed an appeal against the interim orders at the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt Division, with notices served on January 19 and 20, 2026.
He explained that under the doctrine of lis pendens, all parties and the courts are required to await the outcome of the appeal.
“As it stands,” Justice Amadi said, “my hand is fettered, and I am legally disabled at this point from exercising my duties under Section 188(5) of the Constitution in the instant matter.”
He urged the Rivers State House of Assembly to appreciate the legal constraints surrounding the issue and to act with understanding pending the resolution of the appeal.
The development follows an earlier ruling by a Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt, which restrained the Chief Judge from receiving or acting on any correspondence from the House of Assembly related to the ongoing impeachment moves against Governor Fubara and his deputy.