By Ayomide Otitoju
An Oyigbo High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has adjourned indefinitely the suit filed by Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, challenging the impeachment process initiated by the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Justice Florence Fiberesima granted the adjournment after being informed that two separate appeals had been filed concerning the matter. The court said the adjournment would allow the Court of Appeal to first resolve the pending issues.
At the resumed hearing, counsel to the Speaker, Martins Amaewhule, and 27 lawmakers, S.I. Amen (SAN), informed the court of the pending appeals and applied for a stay of proceedings. The application was not opposed by the claimants’ counsel, Paul Orikoro (SAN), nor by Lawrence Oko-Jaja (SAN), representing other defendants in the suit.
Consequently, Justice Fiberesima adjourned the matter sine die, pending the outcome of the appeals.
The decision follows an earlier interim injunction by the same court restraining the Speaker, lawmakers, the Clerk of the House, and the Chief Judge from taking steps to advance the impeachment of the governor and his deputy. The injunction barred forwarding or considering impeachment notices or documents to constitute an investigative panel over alleged gross misconduct.
Separately, the Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simeon C. Amadi, declined a request by the House to constitute a seven-member investigative panel against Fubara and Odu, citing existing court orders and pending appeals. In a letter to the Speaker, Justice Amadi cited the doctrine of lis pendens, stating that the court and parties must await the outcome of the appeals.
The Assembly had requested the panel under Sections 188(4) and 188(5) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) following resolutions to initiate impeachment proceedings. The requests were accompanied by supporting documents, including the notice of allegations, the Rivers State Impeachment Panel Procedures, 2025, and relevant publications.
Justice Amadi noted that his office had already been served with interim injunctions from the Oyigbo High Court, filed on January 16, 2026, restraining him from acting on any impeachment-related requests or communications from the House. The suits—OYHC/6/CS/2026 by the Deputy Governor and OYHC/7/CS/2026 by the Governor—list the Speaker and 32 others, including the Chief Judge, as defendants.
The interim orders prevent the Chief Judge from receiving, forwarding, or acting on any impeachment requests for seven days, with certified copies attached to the correspondence.
