BREAKING: Rivers chief judge declines to set up panel to probe Fubara

The Rivers state house of assembly had asked Amadi to set up a seven-member panel to investigate Fubara and Ngozi Odu, his deputy, over allegations bordering on gross misconduct.

In a letter dated January 20, 2026, and addressed to Martin Amaewhule, speaker of the Rivers house of assembly, Amadi said his hands were “fettered” by court injunctions.

The chief judge said the interim orders expressly restrained him from considering or acting on any request, resolution or document relating to impeachment proceedings against the governor or deputy governor.

Amadi said Amaewhule has already lodged an appeal against the interim orders at the court of appeal in Port Harcourt, and the notices of appeal have been on his office on January 19 and 20.

“By the doctrine of ‘lis pendens’, parties and the court have to await the outcome of the appeal,” the letter reads.

“In view of the foregoing, my hand is fettered, as there are subsisting interim orders of injunction and appeal against the said orders. I am therefore legally disabled at this point from exercising my duties under Section 188(5) of the Constitution in the instant.”

The chief judge asked the Rivers state assembly to be “magnanimous enough to appreciate the legal position of the matter”.

On January 8, members of the Rivers House of Assembly initiated mpeachment proceedings against Fubara and his deputy.

The lawmakers launched the process after Major Jack, leader of the assembly, presented a motion to impeach Fubara and Odu based on alleged gross misconduct. The motion was supported by 26 assembly members on January 16.

The lawmakers thereafter requested the chief judge to set up a panel to probe the allegations, which include alleged failure of the governor to present the 2026 appropriation bill to the assembly, unauthorised expenditure of public funds, withholding of statutory allocations to the legislature, and other acts they deemed as gross misconduct.