A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has issued a pivotal interim order of injunction, effectively stalling the impeachment process initiated against the Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, and his Deputy, Professor Ngozi Nma-Odu.
The ruling, delivered by the presiding judge, Justice F.A. Fiberesima, follows two separate ex parte motions filed by the state’s top executives. The injunction specifically targets the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Chike-Amaewhule, and thirty-two other respondents, including the Clerk of the House and the Chief Judge of Rivers State.
In a significant legal blow to the proponents of the impeachment, and following a motion exparte filed by the Deputy Governor, Prof. Odu, the court restrained the Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simeon Chibuzor-Amadi, from “receiving, forwarding, considering, or otherwise acting upon” any request, resolution, or articles of impeachment emanating from the first to the twenty-seventh defendants.
The order, which remains in effect for seven days, prohibits the Chief Judge from constituting a panel to investigate the purported allegations of misconduct levelled against the Governor and his Deputy. This judicial pause provides a critical reprieve for the executive branch amidst the escalating friction within the state’s political infrastructure.
Justice Fiberesima also granted leave for the claimants to employ substituted means of service. The court directed that the interim order, alongside the originating processes and all subsequent legal documents intended for the first to the thirty-first defendants, be served at the gate of the Rivers State Assembly Quarters.
Furthermore, the court ordered that the Chief Judge, listed as the thirty-second defendant, be served through any staff member of the Judiciary at the Chief Judge’s Chambers within the High Court premises.
This legal development comes at a time of heightened tension in Rivers State, as the Governor’s administration seeks to maintain stability amidst legislative challenges. The court’s intervention underscores the ongoing reliance on the judiciary to mediate the power struggle between the executive and legislative arms of government.
The matter has been adjourned until the 23rd of January, 2026, for the hearing of the substantive motion.
Below is the copy of the Court document sighted by Africa Update:
