By Ayo Kehinde
A Rivers State High Court sitting in Oyigbo on Friday, January 16, 2026, barred the Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simeon Chibuzor-Amadi, from receiving, considering, or acting on any impeachment-related request against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu.
Justice F.A. Fiberesima issued the interim order while ruling on separate motions ex parte filed by the Governor and the Deputy Governor.
The order restrains the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, the Clerk of the House, and other lawmakers from sending any resolution or articles of impeachment to the Chief Judge for the purpose of constituting an investigative panel.
The court specifically restrained Justice Chibuzor-Amadi from receiving or forwarding any correspondence from the pro-Wike lawmakers intended to initiate a probe into alleged acts of gross misconduct.
The interim injunction, which affects 32 defendants, is set to subsist for an initial seven days.
Justice Fiberesima further granted leave for the claimants to serve the court processes on the lawmakers through substituted means, specifically by pasting the documents at the gate of the Rivers State House of Assembly Quarters.
Service on the Chief Judge is to be effected through any staff at the Chief Judge’s Chambers within the High Court premises.
The suits, marked OYHC/7CS/2026 and OYHC/6/CS/2026, have been adjourned to January 23, 2026, for the hearing of the motion on notice.
Despite the court’s intervention, the Rivers State House of Assembly reportedly resolved to continue with the impeachment proceedings during a session held on Friday.
This defiance comes as the four lawmakers who had recently opposed the move—Barile Nwakoh, Emilia Amadi, Sylvanus Nwankwo, and Peter Abbey—allegedly recanted their positions, claiming the Governor had remained “adamant” in the face of political reconciliation efforts.
