Justice Florence Fiberesima Orders Indefinite Adjournment in Rivers Impeachment Suit

The escalating political crisis in Rivers State took a fresh judicial turn on Tuesday as a High Court in Port Harcourt suspended proceedings in the lawsuit filed by Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Professor Ngozi Nma-Odu, effectively placing the impeachment process against them on hold pending appellate intervention.

Justice Florence Fiberesima, sitting at the Oyigbo Division of the Rivers State High Court, ordered an indefinite adjournment of the suit after confirming that appeals challenging the impeachment process had been formally entered before a higher court. The case was instituted by the governor and his deputy against the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Chike-Amaewhule, 26 lawmakers and the Clerk of the House.

At the resumed hearing, counsel to the Speaker and the lawmakers, S. I. Amen, SAN, informed the court that the defendants had activated their right of appeal and urged the trial court to halt further proceedings to allow the appellate court to determine the issues raised.

The application was not contested by the claimants’ legal team led by Paul Orokoro, SAN, while Lawrence Oko-Jaja, representing other defendants, aligned with the request. With no objection raised, the court moved to consider the implications of continuing with the matter despite the pending appeals.

In her ruling, Justice Fiberesima held that judicial propriety demanded restraint, noting that the existence of two valid appeals made it inappropriate for the court to proceed. She therefore adjourned the matter sine die, clearing the way for the appellate court to assume jurisdiction.

The adjournment comes against the backdrop of an earlier interim injunction issued by the same court, which barred the Speaker and other lawmakers from transmitting impeachment notices to the Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simeon Chibuzor-Amadi, or taking steps toward constituting a probe panel. That order equally restrained the Chief Judge from acting on any impeachment-related communication for a specified period.

With the trial court now stepping aside, the impeachment saga enters a new phase marked by legal uncertainty, as attention shifts to the Court of Appeal to determine whether the Rivers Assembly can lawfully proceed against the governor and his deputy or whether the process will remain stalled by judicial oversight.