Court Steps In as Rivers Impeachment Tensions Rise, Halts Panel Process Temporarily
...Court places a temporary halt on the impeachment proceedings against Gov. Sim Fubara
A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has moved to temporarily halt efforts to commence impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Professor Ngozi Nma-Odu, issuing an interim injunction that pauses the process for seven days.
The ruling, delivered by Justice F. A. Fiberesima in Oyibo Local Government Area, restrains key actors in the unfolding impeachment drama including the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Chike-Amaewhule, other lawmakers, the Clerk of the Assembly, and the Chief Judge of the state from taking further steps toward constituting an investigative panel.
Specifically, the court ordered the Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simeon Chibuzor-Amadi, not to receive, process, or act on any request or resolution from the Assembly relating to the investigation of alleged misconduct against the governor and his deputy within the period covered by the interim order.
The injunction followed two separate ex parte applications filed by Governor Fubara and his deputy, who asked the court to intervene amid rising political tension in the state. Justice Fiberesima granted the applications, citing the need to preserve the status quo pending further legal proceedings.
To ensure compliance, the court authorized substituted service of court documents on the defendants. The judge directed that processes meant for the Speaker and other Assembly members be served at the gate of the Rivers State Assembly quarters, while documents addressed to the Chief Judge should be delivered through any judiciary staff at his chambers within the High Court premises.
The court adjourned the matter to January 23, 2026, for hearing of motions, setting the stage for a legal showdown that could shape the next phase of Rivers State’s political crisis.
The ruling introduces a judicial pause into an already volatile political environment, as stakeholders await the court’s next decision on whether impeachment processes can lawfully proceed.
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