A Rivers State High Court sitting in Oyigbo has declined to grant a perpetual injunction seeking to restrain the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Chibuzor Simeon Amadi, from acting on impeachment requests by the State House of Assembly against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Ordu.
The ruling has brought relief to members of the Rivers Assembly loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who are pursuing the impeachment process.
The decision was disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday by Lere Olayinka, media aide to Wike. According to Olayinka, the presiding judge held that the court could not grant the requested order because the matter is already before the Court of Appeal.
He said the judge subsequently adjourned the case indefinitely, pending the outcome of the appeal.
“The implication is that the High Court will not take any further steps on the issue until the Court of Appeal determines the substantive matters surrounding the impeachment process,” Olayinka stated.
The latest development comes amid heightened political tension in the state. Justice Amadi had earlier declined to constitute a seven-member panel to investigate the impeachment allegations against Governor Fubara and his deputy, citing existing court orders.
Recall that the Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, had served Governor Fubara with an impeachment notice and later confirmed that the notice was duly received by the Chief Judge.
