An Oyigbo High Court of Rivers State, sitting in Port Harcourt, has adjourned indefinitely the lawsuit filed by Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, challenging the impeachment proceedings initiated against them by the Rivers State House of Assembly.
The presiding judge, Justice Florence Fiberesima, ordered the indefinite adjournment after being informed that two separate appeals had been filed in connection with the case. The court ruled that proceedings should be halted to allow the Court of Appeal to first resolve the issues raised in the appeals.
At the resumed hearing, counsel to the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, and 27 lawmakers, S.I. Amen (SAN), notified the court of the pending appeals and made an oral application for a stay of proceedings. The request was not opposed by counsel to the claimants, Paul Orikoro (SAN), nor by Lawrence Oko-Jaja (SAN), who represents Victor Oko-Jumbo, Orubienimigha Timothy, and Sokari Goodboy—other defendants in the suit.
Justice Fiberesima subsequently adjourned the matter sine die, pending the determination of the appeals by the appellate court.
The development follows an earlier interim injunction granted by the same court, which restrained the Speaker, several lawmakers, the Clerk of the House, and the Chief Judge of Rivers State from taking further steps toward the impeachment of the governor and his deputy. The injunction barred the forwarding, consideration, or processing of impeachment notices or related documents aimed at setting up an investigative panel over alleged gross misconduct.
Meanwhile, the Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simeon C. Amadi, has declined a request from the House of Assembly to constitute a seven-member investigative panel to probe the allegations against the governor and his deputy. He cited existing court orders and a pending appeal as reasons for his decision.
Justice Amadi’s position was conveyed in a letter addressed to Speaker Martin Amaewhule, acknowledging receipt of two separate requests dated January 16, 2026. The requests were made pursuant to Sections 188(4) and 188(5) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), following resolutions of the House to commence impeachment proceedings.
“By the doctrine of lis pendens, parties and the court have to await the outcome of the appeal,” the letter stated. “In view of the foregoing, my hand is fettered, as there are subsisting interim orders of injunction and an appeal against the said orders. I am therefore legally disabled at this point from exercising my duties under Section 188(5) of the Constitution in the instant matter.”
The Chief Judge disclosed that the Assembly’s requests were accompanied by extensive documentation, including copies of the notice of allegations of gross misconduct, the Rivers State Impeachment Panel (Conduct of Investigations) Procedure, 2025, and relevant newspaper publications. However, he noted that his office had earlier been served with two interim injunctions issued by the Oyigbo High Court on January 16, 2026.
The suits—OYHC/6/CS/2026 filed by the Deputy Governor and OYHC/7/CS/2026 filed by Governor Fubara—listed the Speaker and 32 others as defendants, with the Chief Judge named as the 32nd defendant. The interim orders expressly restrain the Chief Judge from “receiving, forwarding, considering, or otherwise acting on any request, resolution, articles of impeachment, or related communication” from the House of Assembly for seven days, pending further proceedings.
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