Rivers State High Court temporarily stop Govnor Fubara impeachment

Rivers State High Court for Oyibo local govment Area wey dey sit for Port Harcourt don issue one interim order of injunction against di Speaker of di Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, and 32 odas including di clerk of di house and Chief Judge of Rivers State wey restrain di Chief Judge of di state, Justice Simeon Chibuzor Amadi from receiving di impeachment notice against Govnor Siminalayi Fubara.

Di order also stop di chief judge from forwarding, considering and or acting on any request, resolution, articles of impeachment or oda document or communication from one to twenty-seventh defendants for di purpose of constituting a panel to investigate di purported allegations of misconduct against di govnor and im deputy for seven days.

Dis dey come shortly after di Rivers Assembly write to di Chief Judge of di State to set up a seven man investigative panel wey go investigate di allegations of gross misconduct against di Govnor and im Deputy.

Presiding judge, Justice Florence A. Fiberesima, as e give ruling for one exparte motion for two separate suits by Govnor Siminalayi Fubara and Deputy Govnor, Prof Ngozi Nma Odu, also grant leave to di claimants to serve di interim order, di originating processes for di suits and all oda subsequent processes meant for di first to 31st defendants for di gate of di Rivers State Assembly Quarters Port Harcourt .

Di Court also direct for di interim order, di originating processes for di suits to dey served on di number thirty two defendant wey be di Chief Judge of di state through any staff of Judiciary for di Chief Judge Chambers wey dey within di High Court Complex for Port Harcourt.

Di presiding judge, Justice F.A Fiberesima come adjourn di case to 23 January, 2026 for hearing of di motion on notice.

Dis dey come as di Rivers State House of Assembly say dem go kontinu wit di impeachment of Govnor Siminialayi Fubara and im Deputy, Prof Ngozo Nma Odu.

Dem tok dis one wen di House resume sitting for di Conference Hall of di Assembly Quarters wia dem dey temporarily seat for Port Harcourt.

Majority leader and member representing Akuku Toru state constituency I, Major Jack explain say dem dey kontinu becos di Rivers Govnor and Deputy kontinu to disregard di constitution and no regard dem at all and feel say e fit do anytin wey e like despite di intervention of di president.

E say since dem serve dem wit di impeachment notice, dem never make any effort to respond and so e call on di Speaker say make dem continue wit di impeachment proceedings.

Dem call on di Chief Judge of di state to set up panel wey go investigate di allegations of gross misconduct against Fubara and im deputy, Ngozi Odu.

Even di four lawmakers wey bin make statements to appeal to dia colleagues not to continue wit di impeachment bin also don withdraw dia plea and say dem dey in support for di impeachment.

Di Deputy Minority Leader and member wey dey represent Omuma state constituency, Sylvanus Nwankwo say even after dia plea, di govnor through im media aides dey incite di pipo against dem and dey disregard di constitution and so sake of dat impeachment na di way to go.

Dem maintain say impeachment dey constitutional and na di right tin dem dey do so make pipo for di state support dem.

Say Fubara tok no to supplementary budget na di problem - Oji

Meanwhile, di Special Assistant on Political Affairs to di Govnor of Rivers State, Darlington Oji say di refusal of Govnor Fubara to present a supplementary budget for 2025 na im be di reason for di wahala between im and di Assembly members.

Oji explain to tori pipo Arise News say afta di expiration of di emergency rule for Rivers State, Govnor Fubara, as e resume office, meet wit di Speaker and di Majority Leader of di Rivers Assembly to discuss a way forward.

E say di Govnor ask dem to recall di three lawmakers wey bin dey support am, wey be Victor Oko-Jumbo wey dey represent Bonny State Constituency, Sokari Goodboy Sokari for Ahoada West state constituency and Adolphus Timothy Orubienimigha for Opobo/Nkoro state constituency, but dem no gree.

But e say dem insist say e must present a supplementary budget, as di Assembly bin no dey captured in di budget wey bin dey passed under di emergency rule but di Govnor decline dia request.

Dis na as di govnor say e no need any supplementary budget as e meet 600 billion naira ($421 million) for di state account wen e resume and e go fit work wit dat one.

But e bin add say any tin wey dem need, dem fit capture am for di 2026 budget given dat November (as at den) don reach and di year go soon end, and di 2026 budget go capture all dia concerns but dem no gree.

How four Rivers lawmakers bin back out of di impeachment process

Di impeachment move against Fubara and im deputy bin suffer some setback wen four lawmakers withdraw dia support to di process and appeal for a peaceful resolution to di crises.

Barile Nwakoh of Khana Constituency I and Emilia Amadi of Obio/Akpor Constituency II say dem for favour a peaceful resolution of di political crisis instead of going ahead with di impeachment.

Earlier in di week, minority leader and member representing Omuma constituency, Sylvanus Nwankwo and Peter Abbey wey dey represent Degema Constituency, bin don call on dia colleagues to withdraw di impeachment notice dem issue on Thursday, 8 January 2026 and take di part of dialogue to resolve evri issue.

But on Friday, di four lawmakers come again to tok say make di impeachment process kontinu.

Wetin go hapun to di impeachment process?

For Karibi George wey be lawyer and communications analyst, e say "di lawmakers dey answerable to dia constituents and na wetin dia constituents ask dem to do na im dem go do.

"So if like dem tok say na di pipo dem dey represent ask dem not to be part of di impeachment and dem no fit achieve two-thirds majority of di Assembly to vote in favour of di impeachment, e no go go through."

George add say e go good if di Assembly members look for ways dem fit resolve dia fight wit di Govnor in a simple way.

E also wonder weda di Assembly don really serve di Govnor di impeachment notice as e observe say di constitution require say di Assembly suppose serve di govnor di impeachment notice personally and not by substituted means wia dem go go publish di notice for newspaper.

Dis e say if dem neva do so, e fit also mean say technically, di govnor neva receive any impeachment notice wey e go respond to.

"For me, I go say make dem take di path of settling wateva fit be di issue. Already some stakeholders dey try to intervene like di Pan Niger Delta Forum, Pandef, as well as di Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers Council wey don set up mediation committees for dis issue.

"I go say make dem make use of dis bodies wey we believe to dey neutral, and resolve evritin so di state go dey at peace."