A Rivers State High Court has issued an interim order restraining the House of Assembly from proceeding with impeachment moves against Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Port Harcourt, Jan. 16, 2026 – A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has issued an interim injunction restraining the Rivers State House of Assembly from proceeding with impeachment steps against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu.
The court granted the order following an ex parte application filed by the governor and his deputy, who are challenging the legality and constitutionality of the impeachment notice reportedly initiated by the Assembly.
In its ruling, the court restrained the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, the Clerk of the House, and the Chief Judge of Rivers State from receiving, processing, forwarding, or acting on any impeachment notice or related documents concerning the governor and his deputy.
The court also ordered all parties involved to maintain the status quo pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit before it. The interim order remains in force until further proceedings.
According to court filings, the applicants argued that the impeachment process did not comply with constitutional provisions and amounted to an abuse of legislative powers capable of destabilizing governance in the state.
Reacting to the development, the Rivers State House of Assembly rejected the court’s intervention, insisting that impeachment proceedings fall exclusively within the powers of the legislature. The Assembly cited Section 188(10) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which it says limits judicial interference in impeachment matters.
“The courts do not have the constitutional authority to restrain the legislature from carrying out its lawful duties,” the Assembly stated, maintaining that it acted within its constitutional mandate.
Legal practitioners, however, note that while the Constitution restricts court intervention in concluded impeachment proceedings, the judiciary retains the authority to intervene where issues of due process, legality, or constitutional breaches are raised.
The court has adjourned the matter to January 23, 2026, for hearing, as political and legal attention remains focused on the unfolding crisis between the executive and legislative arms of government in Rivers State.
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