The Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simeon Amadi, has refused a request by the State House of Assembly to set up a judicial panel to investigate Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, over allegations of gross misconduct.
Justice Amadi based his decision on existing court orders that expressly bar him from taking any steps toward constituting such a panel. In a letter dated January 20 and addressed to the Speaker of the House, Martins Amaewhule, the chief judge explained that the orders prevent him from receiving, considering, or forwarding any request related to the proposed investigation.
According to him, the restraining court orders were served on his office on January 16, 2026, and remain valid and binding until set aside by a competent court.
The Rivers State House of Assembly had earlier asked the chief judge to constitute a seven-member judicial panel as part of its move to probe the governor and his deputy.
Justice Amadi stressed that constitutionalism and the rule of law demand strict obedience to court orders by all authorities, regardless of personal opinions about the legitimacy of such orders. He warned that disregarding subsisting court directives would amount to a violation of due process.
To support his position, the chief judge referred to a 2007 legal precedent in which the Chief Judge of Kwara State was faulted for setting up an investigative panel despite a restraining court order. That action, he noted, was later nullified by the Court of Appeal.
He also pointed out that the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly has already filed an appeal challenging the court orders at the Court of Appeal, further complicating the legal issues surrounding the planned investigation.