Justice Chibuzor Simeon Amadi, the Chief Judge of Rivers State, has refused to form a seven-person panel to look into claims of egregious misconduct against Governor Sim Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Ordu.
Justice Amadi cited two court orders prohibiting him from receiving, sending, or considering any petitions to constitute such a panel in a letter dated January 20, 2026, to Martins Amaewhule, Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
The directives, which were delivered to his office on January 16, 2026, are still in effect.
Regardless of their opinion of the validity of existing court orders, the Chief Judge stressed that constitutionalism and the rule of law compel all authorities to abide by them.
He cited legal precedents, pointing out that in a comparable situation in 2007, the Chief Judge of Kwara State was found guilty of disobeying a restraining court order when establishing an investigating panel; the Court of Appeal later overturned this ruling.
The Speaker has already filed an appeal against the court orders at the Court of Appeal, according to Justice Amadi, adding still another level of complexity to the continuing legal proceedings surrounding the claims.
He cited legal precedents, pointing out that in a comparable situation in 2007, the Chief Judge of Kwara State was found guilty of disobeying a restraining court order when establishing an investigating panel; the Court of Appeal later overturned this ruling.
The Speaker has already filed an appeal against the court orders at the Court of Appeal, according to Justice Amadi, adding still another level of complexity to the continuing legal proceedings surrounding the claims.
