_Port Harcourt, Rivers State — By The Neighbourhood Newspaper Team_
A carefully timed plan to oust Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Deputy Governor Ngozi Nma Odu before the end of the first quarter of 2026 has been thrown into disarray after a surprise legal maneuver in Oyigbo halted the process. Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule, and a bloc of 26 lawmakers loyal to Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike had expected to deliver a swift impeachment, installing Amaewhule as governor and reshuffling leadership within days. Instead, a stealthy court action filed by the governor’s legal team on January 16, 2026, froze the machinery before it could turn.
While the Assembly’s proceedings were broadcast live on national television and a resolution was passed directing Chief Judge Simeon Amadi to constitute a seven‑man probe panel, two separate suits (OYHC/6/CS/2026 and OYHC/7/CS/2026) were quietly lodged at the High Court in Oyigbo, a quieter venue outside Port Harcourt. Court records show the cases were filed at 11:06 a.m., assigned by 12:06 p.m., and an interim order was granted by Justice F.A. Fiberesima by early afternoon—precisely as Speaker Amaewhule’s office prepared its formal request to the Chief Judge. Bailiffs served the restraining order on the Chief Judge just as the Speaker’s messengers arrived with the “Articles of Impeachment,” effectively blocking any administrative action.
The governor’s strategy hinged on naming the Chief Judge as the 32nd defendant, turning him into a party to the litigation. In a written response to the Speaker, the Chief Judge noted, “My hand is fettered… I am therefore legally disabled at this point from exercising my duties.” By making the CJ a party, any attempt to appoint a panel would have placed him in contempt of court, a risk underscored by the 2007 Kwara State precedent where a chief judge was sanctioned for ignoring similar orders.
The resulting legal tango has frozen the constitutional timeline. Section 188(5) of the 1999 Constitution requires the CJ to act within seven days of the Speaker’s request, but the interim injunction has rendered that window moot. The Chief Judge, invoking the doctrine of _lis pendens_, has declared the matter sub‑judice, meaning the legislative clock remains suspended while the case proceeds. Moreover, the governor secured an order for substituted service, allowing bailiffs to post the injunction on the Assembly’s gate, making any further steps by lawmakers legally perilous.
Speaker Amaewhule’s miscalculation lay in treating the impeachment as a purely political exercise rather than a litigation battle. By shifting the fight to the Court of Appeal, he may have inadvertently bought Governor Fubara months of breathing room, as appellate processes in Nigeria rarely move with the speed needed for a “lightning” impeachment.
For now, the theatre of war has moved from the Governor’s Office and the Assembly chamber to the appellate court. As Governor Fubara quipped at the recent NPA Port Harcourt International Polo Tournament, where he was special guest of honour, “Amidst all the noise and the love letter I was served, I am still the Governor of Rivers.” The next chapter will depend on how the Court of Appeal rules, but the initial ambush in Oyigbo has already reshaped Rivers State’s political landscape.
