The Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Chibuzor Simeon Amadi, has declined to constitute a seven-member panel to investigate allegations of gross misconduct against Governor Sim Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Ordu, citing subsisting court orders. In a letter dated January 20, 2026, addressed to the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule, Justice Amadi said he was barred by two court orders from receiving, forwarding, or considering any request to set up such a panel. He noted that the orders, which were served on his office on January 16, 2026, remain valid and binding.
Justice Amadi stressed that constitutionalism and the rule of law require strict obedience to court orders, irrespective of any personal views about their validity. He referenced a similar case in 2007 in which the Chief Judge of Kwara State was condemned for disregarding a restraining order while constituting an investigative panel, a move later nullified by the Court of Appeal. The Rivers State Chief Judge also disclosed that Speaker Amaewhule has already filed an appeal against the court orders at the Court of Appeal, a development he said could impact any attempt to establish an investigative panel.