Court Restrains Adamant Rivers Assembly From Taking Steps To Remove Gov Fubara, Deputy

By Daphne Gelegu, Port Harcourt

Embattled Rivers State Governor Siminalayi has approached the State High Court sitting in Oyigbo Local Government Area for protection on Friday and obtained an interim injunction halting steps connected to any impeachment proceedings against him and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu.

The interim injunction restrained the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule, the Clerk of the House, and other parties from sending any correspondence or documents to the Chief Judge of Rivers State linked to the impeachment process.

The court also barred the Chief Judge, Justice Simeon Amadi, from receiving, considering, or acting on any request, resolution, or articles of impeachment from the defendants for the purpose of constituting a panel to investigate the alleged misconduct of the governor and his deputy, pending further proceedings.

This followed the ruling of the presiding judge, Justice F.A. Fiberesima, granting the order in a motion ex parte in two separate suits filed by Governor Fubara and Deputy Governor Odu.

Justice Fiberesima further granted leave for the claimants to serve the interim order and originating processes in Suit Nos. OYHC/7CS/2026 and OYHC/6/CS/2026, as well as subsequent court documents, on the defendants through substituted means at the Rivers State House of Assembly quarters.

The court also directed that the processes be served on the Chief Judge through any staff member at his chambers within the High Court premises and afterwards, adjourned to January 23, 2026, for the hearing of the substantive motion.

Meanwhile, the Rivers State House of Assembly has remained adamant on its resolve to request the State’s Chief Judge (CJ) to investigate Governor Fubara and his deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu, over alleged gross misconduct.

The resolution was adopted earlier on Friday during the House plenary with 25 lawmakers voting in support, in accordance with Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) before the Court’s restraining order was granted to Fubara and his deputy.

Presiding over the session, Speaker Martins Amaewhule directed the Clerk of the House to immediately write to the Chief Judge, seeking the constitution of a seven-member investigative panel to examine the allegations against the governor and his deputy.

“This voting clearly shows the decision of the House,” Amaewhule said, calling on the Chief Judge to set up the investigative panel without delay.

The Assembly accused Fubara and Odu of several constitutional breaches, including alleged irregularities in budget implementation, failure to present the 2026 Appropriation Bill to the legislature, unauthorised expenditure of public funds, and the withholding of statutory allocations meant for the House.

Meanwhile, Speaker Amaewhule has formally written to the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Simeon Amadi, to set up a seven-man panel to investigate allegations of misconduct levelled against Governor Fubara and his deputy, Odu.

The letter, dated January 16, 2026, read in part: “I write to request that you appoint a panel of seven persons to investigate the allegations of gross misconduct against His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers State, pursuant to section 188(5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

“At the 60th Legislative day of the Third Session of the 10th Assembly, the House resolved in compliance with section 188(4) of the Constitution that these allegations be investigated.

“In this regard, the acknowledged copy of the forwarding letter of the Notice of Allegations of Gross Misconduct; photocopies of the Notice of Allegations of Gross Misconduct; copies of the Rivers State Impeachment Panel (Conduct of Investigations) Procedure 2025; photocopies of newspaper publications of Guardian, Saturday Sun, Nation and relevant documents are hereby attached for the use of the Panel.”

The Rivers State House of Assembly has formally resolved to request the State’s Chief Judge (CJ) to investigate Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu, over allegations of gross misconduct levelled against them by the Assembly.

The resolution was adopted on Friday during the House plenary with 25 lawmakers voting in support, in accordance with Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

“This voting clearly shows the decision of the House,” Amaewhule said, calling on the Chief Judge to set up the investigative panel without delay.

Expectedly, Speaker Amaewhule has written to the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Simeon Amadi, to set up a seven-man panel to investigate allegations of misconduct levelled against Governor Fubara and his deputy, Odu.

“At the 60th Legislative day of the Third Session of the 10th Assembly, the House resolved in compliance with section 188(4) of the Constitution that these allegations be investigated.