Simeon Amadi, Chief Judge of Rivers State, has declined the Rivers State House of Assembly’s request to set up a seven-member judicial panel to investigate Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, over allegations of gross misconduct, citing existing court orders restraining his involvement.
In a letter dated January 20, 2026, addressed to Martin Amaewhule, Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Judge Amadi stated that his office had been served with two interim court orders on January 16, stemming from suits filed by both Fubara and Odu. These orders explicitly prohibit him from acting on any impeachment-related requests or resolutions involving the governor and deputy governor.
Amadi further noted that the speaker has already filed an appeal against these interim orders at the Port Harcourt Court of Appeal. “By the doctrine of ‘lis pendens’, parties and the court must await the outcome of the appeal,” the judge explained.
“Given the subsisting injunctions and appeal process, my hands are legally fettered,” Amadi concluded. He urged the House of Assembly to appreciate the legal constraints surrounding the matter.
### Background
On January 8, 2026, the Rivers State House of Assembly initiated impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara and Deputy Governor Odu. Major Jack, leader of the assembly, formally read charges against the duo, which included budgetary impropriety, failure to present the 2026 appropriation bill, unauthorized expenditure of public funds, and withholding statutory allocations from the legislature.
Twenty-six members of the assembly endorsed the gross misconduct allegations. On January 16, the assembly passed a motion requesting the Chief Judge to establish a panel to investigate the charges.
In response, a Port Harcourt High Court, presided over by Judge Florence Fiberesima, issued an interim injunction barring the Chief Judge from receiving or acting on any impeachment notices related to Fubara and Odu. The court order restricts any impeachment-related processes from moving forward until further notice.
The case remains pending as legal processes continue in the judiciary.
