By Abiola Olawale
In a major legal twist to the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State, a State High Court has issued an interim injunction restraining the Chief Judge from receiving or acting upon any impeachment notice directed at Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The ruling, delivered on Friday, provides a temporary shield for the Governor and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, as the battle for the control of the oil-rich state intensifies between Fubara and his predecessor, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
The order was issued by the High Court of Oyibo Local Government Area, sitting in Port Harcourt, following two separate suits filed by Governor Fubara and his deputy, marked Suit No. OYHC/7/CS/2026 and Suit No. OYHC/6/CS/2026.
The presiding judge, Justice F. A. Fiberesima, gave the ruling while granting motions ex parte in the two suits filed by the governor and his deputy.
The court specifically barred the Chief Judge, Justice Simone Chibuzor-Amadi, and the Clerk of the State Assembly from receiving or forwarding any resolutions or articles of impeachment, acting on any documents from the Martin Amaewhule-led House of Assembly.
Justice Fiberesima also granted leave to the claimants/applicants to serve the interim orders and originating processes on the 1st to the 31st defendants by pasting them at the gate of the Rivers State House of Assembly Quarters.
The judge ordered all parties to maintain the status quo ante litem (the state of affairs before the litigation began) to prevent the total breakdown of order in the state.
This comes after the Amaewhule-led Assembly, which consists of 26 lawmakers, recently intensified its efforts to remove the Governor.
They cited several allegations of “gross misconduct,” including spending over ₦800 billion without legislative approval and defiance of Supreme Court rulings regarding financial autonomy and failure to present the state budget to a “duly constituted” Assembly.
