A seven-person panel to look into claims of egregious misconduct against Governor Sim Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Ordu, has been rejected by Rivers State Chief Judge Chibuzor Simeon Amadi.
In a letter dated January 20, 2026, Justice Amadi wrote to Martins Amaewhule, the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, citing two court orders that prohibited him from accepting, sending, or taking into consideration any petitions to constitute such a panel.
His office received the orders on January 16, 2026, and they are still in effect.
The Chief Judge underlined that all authorities must abide by current court orders, regardless of their opinion of the orders’ legality, in accordance with constitutionalism and the rule of law.
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 forming an investigating panel; the Court of Appeal eventually overturned this ruling.
The Speaker has already filed an appeal against the court orders at the Court of Appeal, according to Justice Amadi, adding another level of complexity to the continuing legal proceedings surrounding the accusations.
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 forming an investigating panel; the Court of Appeal eventually overturned this ruling.
The Speaker has already filed an appeal against the court orders at the Court of Appeal, according to Justice Amadi, adding another level of complexity to the continuing legal proceedings surrounding the accusations.
